Sweet Sacrifice
by saraneedsahobby
Summary: In 'The Cure' Denae finally allowed herself to open up & love Jacob Black. Now something is threatening Jacob & Denae finds that she may just be a human but she'll do anything to protect her wolf. Jacob/OC w/the Pack & Cullens. Breaking Dawn time frame.
1. Prologue: No Parade

A/N: Hello! **I want to begin by saying that this is the SEQUEL to my other story, The Cure. If you have not read that story then PLEASE go to my profile and read it now as this story will not make any sense. **

Thank you to everyone who read The Cure! Over 200 reviews on that one! AWESOME! Let's see if we can beat that with Sweet Sacrifice! This is the prologue..and like The Cure it is from Jacob's POV. I really had a hard time deciding if this is how I wanted to start this story...but...I think I'm satisfied with it. Please take note that this is happening quite a bit before the first chapter will start...it's just kind of something for you to look forward to in the story. Please let me know what you think! :)

No copyright infringement intended. All publicly recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

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**SWEET SACRIFICE**

**Prologue-Jacob POV**

**No Parade – Jordin Sparks**

_The story was supposed to last__  
__You were never supposed to be__  
__Just somebody in the past__  
__Somebody I used to see_

_Trouble crept up on us__  
__The warning never came in time__  
__Before I knew it we were dust__  
__Just left behind, left behind_

_Changes come but where they go__  
__You never know_

_Just another day like any other__  
__Nothing in the sky said run for cover__  
__Just another reason__  
__Never thought it would end this way_

_There was no parade, no lights flashing__  
__No song to sing along the way__  
__There was no parade, no waves crashing__  
__There was no one else around for days__  
__There was no parade_

Imprinting on someone is weird. I mean really, really weird. You feel and do things that are often completely involuntary. It's like someone else is controlling your emotions and thoughts and actions. You are so connected to the other person that it's hard to know where you stop and when they begin. It's confusing.

When I first looked at Denae Walters, I felt the shift in my world immediately. Suddenly, her clear blue eyes were all I could see. It's like there was a change in my consciousness. She was part of it, and there wasn't a thing I could do to alter it. I can't explain the feeling that I get when something happens to her. I can't read her mind, or know exactly what she's feeling at any given moment. No, that's vampire stuff. I just know in my heart when she needs me.

I've only questioned the feeling in my gut that I needed to get to Denae one time. And I will never do it again.

Fighting with an imprint is hard. Just like any relationship, there are bound to be arguments. Throw in mortal enemies, supernatural creatures, and two very stubborn personalities and it's going to get hard.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Denae said. Her arms were crossed and she had a defiant look in her eye. Fighting with Denae was always a challenge. She had a way of convincing anyone to get her way. It had come in handy in the past, but right now it was making my life much harder.

"It's for your safety!" I had argued back.

"You can't make me leave, Jacob. This is my home now."

We had been arguing for a while by this point. Our life had gotten very complicated. I wanted her to leave for awhile, until everything I felt like things were safe. But she was being stubborn.

I was frustrated. My hands were trembling slightly. I knew I was in control but I wanted to be safe. "I'm going for a run," I huffed. Denae and I both knew that meant I was going to phase into my wolf-form and blow of some steam. It seemed to be the only way I could deal with emotions.

"Fine," she said. She sat down, looking stressed. "The plumber will be here anytime now."

I just nodded. I really needed to get out then. The last thing I needed was for some plumber to see my phase into a wolf in Denae's backyard. "I'll be back at eight. I'm patrolling anyways." I walked to the front door, still agitated. Not at her, but at the seriously screwed up situation we were in. Sometimes I just got so frustrated that things just couldn't go the way I wanted them to. I didn't know why I couldn't just have peaceful existence with the love of my life.

"I love you," she had said quietly as I left. I was too focused on not phasing until I reached the woods to respond.

I should have said it back.

I could feel something was off as I ran. But I knew she was just agitated with our fight. She was worried and stressed about what was happening. Not to mention the Magic 8 Ball, Alice Cullen and her husband Jasper had run off the other day. Tensions were high. Everyone was afraid. I could tell she was thinking about everything and I could tell she was afraid. But I swore we needed some space. That's what normal couples needed after an argument, right? I didn't go back.

That was a mistake.

Leah's voice cut through my thoughts about an hour later _You're in an awfully negative mood_, She acted like she didn't care but I knew she did. She had become good friends with Denae. Consequently, she and I had grown closer as well, but she was still irritating. _The girlfriend kicking your ass again?_ Her annoying voice distracted me for a moment.

_Shut up, Leah._ I growled. She was not helping me shake the uneasy feeling I always got when I fought with Denae. It was growing by the minute but I just figured it was just the imprint telling me to go back and make her happy. But making her happy would be putting her in danger, which the imprint wouldn't like either. It was so confusing. I didn't know what to do. I had a serious headache. I was so stressed lately.

_Oh, I'm scared_. Leah was intentionally pushing my buttons. She caught up to me and I watched as she pranced around in the shadows by the trees. It hid her grey fur but I still knew it was her.

_Leave me alone, Leah._ I said again as I ran off, trying to put some distance in between us. Harpy and bitter, Leah seemed to live by the saying 'misery loves company'. She had gotten better since she and Denae had become friends, but she was still indignant.

Of course, she followed me which only further angered me. _Aw, come on Jake._ Her thoughts were sarcastic. _Use an injunction like a real Alpha._

I turned and snapped my teeth at her. She knew how I felt about the Alpha command. _Knock it off!_

She growled and snapped back, catching some skin and fur on my shoulder.

_Damn it, Leah_! I snarled. For several moments we just stood there and snarled at each other. But then I felt it. Something was really wrong. Denae was hurt. Panic gripped at my heart as I tried to focus on the feeling.

_What is it?_ Leah stopped snarling instantly. She cared deeply about Denae and became serious as soon as she could tell something was wrong.

_I don't know. I've got to get to her, though._ I took off through the forest with Leah by my side. We were both fast, and she had no trouble keeping up.

It felt like an eternity but it was only ten minutes and I was at her house. I cursed myself for straying so far from her. Usually I stayed within twenty miles so I could be back quick.

The feeling increased as I phased back and walked up her steps. Usually I could feel her presence and hear her heartbeat by now. But it was silent and all I felt was dread.

I opened the door. "Denae?" I called with a slight panic to my voice. She wasn't there. Her scent seemed to be at least twenty minutes old. I smelt an unfamiliar scent and freaked out for a moment, but remembered that the plumber had come. I walked into the kitchen. There was a piece of paper on the table. I picked it up and that's when my heart shattered.

_**Dear Jacob,**_

_**I am so sorry I'm not brave enough to say this to your face. I had to write it down. I'm leaving, just like you asked. Don't come and find me please, I'm begging you. Don't call anyone in Denton or my brother. I don't want them to know anything is wrong. They don't need to be involved.**_

_**I can't do this anymore. I'm just a human, and I can't keep up with all of this. I HAVE to leave, I don't have another choice. Trust me when I say it is the best idea for everyone involved. I can't pinpoint when everything went wrong, but I think my past has finally caught up with me and it's making it impossible for me to stay here. The intensity of our relationship has finally become too much for me. I had to leave, or else things would be much worse. **_

_**Please, please, please DO NOT come after me. You won't like what you find.**_

_**-Denae**_

I barely made it to the woods before I phased and howled with anger and sorrow and hurt and pain. Rejection and sadness were mixing in with the fear I felt from Denae and it was staggering. I didn't know what to do. I could feel that she was hurt and that something was wrong with her. Normally I could follow the imprint to where she was but that wasn't happening this time.

She didn't want to be found.

I couldn't survive without her. It was just that simple. I had no idea how to go on. I was physically hurting and having trouble breathing. My thoughts and feelings were just a jumbled mess. Imprints don't just leave their wolves. That doesn't happen.

All I could think about is how we fought and how I left. I left without even telling her I loved her. And now, I had nothing to live for. This was ten times worse than what I felt when she first freaked out when she found out about imprinting. I completely lost sense of anything. Time, where I was, and who was around me. That was not good for the Alpha of a pack, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Not when Denae had left me.

I didn't even notice Edward until he had me pinned to the ground.

"Jacob! You need to listen to me!" Edward growled.

I snapped and snarled and tried to get away from him. But it was only a half-hearted attempt. I was too crushed by what had happened to really fight.

_He's right, listen!_ Leah's voice said. _Calm down for just a few seconds, long enough to listen._

I wanted to snap at Leah for giving _me _an order but I didn't. I went limp. There wasn't a point. Why fight? Why do anything anymore? Denae was gone, my life was over.

"Jacob, pay close attention to what I am about to say, okay? I need you to focus and listen. After I say it, you need to try to get yourself under control so you can phase back and we can figure out what to do."

I didn't make any effort to respond.

"We have reason to believe that Denae was kidnapped."

That got a response.


	2. Existentialism on Prom Night

A/N: Here we go! Chapter 1 in Denae's POV. I would like to clarify that the prologue from Jacob's POV is part of the story that happens later on... We are building up to that point, so keep that in mind...slowly but surely all your questions from the prologue will be answered!

PLEASE let me know what you think about this! I spent a long time on it trying to make it perfect. I have the best reviewers and I just love getting your feedback! Also, check out my profile for a link for the dress in this chapter. :)

Oh, and I own nothing Twilight...dang.

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**Chapter 1**

**Existentialism on Prom Night – Straylight Run**

_When the sun came up,_  
_We were sleeping in,_  
_Sunk inside our blankets,_  
_Sprawled across the bed,_  
_And we were dreaming,_

_There are moments when,_  
_When I know it and_  
_The world revolves around us,_  
_And we're keeping it,_  
_Keep it all going,_  
_This delicate balance,_  
_Vulnerable all knowing,_

_Sing like you think no one's listening,_  
_You would kill for this,_  
_Just a little bit,_  
_Just a little bit,_  
_You would_

The attack was swift and sudden. It caught me completely off guard. One moment I was folding laundry and the next I was being taken from my home, completely at their mercy. They were ruthless and brutal as they threatened me and tortured me with all sorts of terrible devices. All I could do is sit and hope and pray it would all be over soon.

And yell. There was a lot of yelling.

"I swear to God, Denae if you don't stop kicking me I will tie your legs up. And quit screaming in my ear, I have duct tape in the car, I'm not afraid to use it. I don't care how mad Jake will get." Jared had me easily slung over his shoulder as he strolled to Kim's car. You could barely tell that he had an extra one hundred and twenty-five pounds draped over his shoulder. I could hear Kim giggling behind him.

It was the end of April and, as always, raining in Forks, Washington. After Jared had threatened to duct tape me to the car seat, I stopped yelling and quietly watched the green scenery rush by the window as we drove to La Push. Kim was gushing on and on about how excited she was to help me get ready for prom, but I didn't hear much of it. I was lost in my thoughts.

I was amazed that in under a year I went from someone who thought werewolves and vampires were storybook myths to someone who had a werewolf for a boyfriend (more like soul-mate) and a vampire for a brother. Oh, and you can't forget surviving an attack by a psychotic vengeful vampire and her army of bloodthirsty newborn vampires.

Most girls worry about picking out the right perfume to wear to impress their boyfriend. I worry that spending time around my friends would cause me to stink like a repulsive vampire to my boyfriend's super-sensitive nose. Most girls worry about what their bridesmaid dress will look like during their best friend's wedding. I worry about accidently cutting myself and being attacked by my best friend's future in laws during my best friend's wedding. Most girls worry about their boyfriend's friends liking them. I worry about the fact that my boyfriend's friends have all seen me naked through my boyfriend's eyes via telepathic mind link. Most girls worry about their big brother approving of their boyfriend. I worry about my big brother eating my boyfriend.

Yet somehow it had become everyday life for me. And I was actually very happy. I got to talk to Chase every day on the phone and he said before too long he'd be able to come back. He sounded like he was doing really well and he was getting along great with the Denali clan.

Jacob had returned to school to finish his last semester of his senior year after urging from both myself and his father. He would still be able to graduate on time if he did well in all of his classes. It was a hard transition for him and I knew he was exhausted. He was also usually pretty cranky because he and I hadn't spent much time together after his return to high school. But we all knew it would be better in the long run.

This return to high school was the reason why I was currently headed to Emily Young's house to get ready for prom. I had never been to prom before and although Jacob insisted that it wasn't a big deal, just some lame decorations in the high school's gym, I couldn't help but be nervous. Apparently Jacob and the pack were the center of a lot of gossip in La Push and people paid a lot of attention to them. Jacob was amused that after all of my near death experiences, I would be scared of going to prom.

"Denae, are you listening to anything I'm saying?" Kim admonished in her soft voice. She narrowed her eyes at me. She may appear to be shy but once she warmed up to you, it was difficult to get her to stop talking.

"Huh?" I asked, peeling my eyes away from the trees and grass outside the window to look at a frowning Kim.

"I asked you if you knew how you wanted to do your hair." She repeated slowly. Jared flashed me grin in the rear view mirror. His hazel eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Uh, not really," I shrugged. "I was just going to leave it down."

Kim's eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh no. You can't do that!" She shook her head furiously. "Emily is really good at doing hair. She helped me with mine when Jared and I went to prom last year, remember sweetie?"

Jared grinned. "Of course I do. You looked stunning."

Kim blushed and beamed back at Jared as she looked up at him through her long lashes.

I smiled at the exchange. It reminded me so much of Jacob and myself, although, lately he and I had been arguing more than normal. It was always over the same topic: Bella Swan.

Bella and Jacob had been very close friends and I considered her one of my best friends as well. When she announced that she would be getting married to her boyfriend, Edward Cullen, Jacob and I had taken it different ways. I was excited for her, even if she was skeptical, because I knew that she and Edward belonged together. However, Jacob was vehemently opposed to the marriage because Edward was a vampire and he knew that soon after they were married Edward would change Bella in to a vampire as well. Naturally, this didn't sit well with a werewolf. It only angered him more because it broke the treaty that his ancestors had set up with the Cullens when they had arrived in Forks for the first time. The Cullens drank only animal blood and Ephraim Black recognized this and declared that the Quileutes would not attack the Cullens or reveal their nature to humans as long as they didn't bite a human. Changing Bella required one of the Cullens to bite her.

This caused a lot of tension in between Jacob and I, especially since the rest of the Cullen family were becoming good friends of mine. Alice and I enjoyed shopping together. Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle and I had begun talking about and making plans for a women's shelter. Emmett and I enjoyed betting against each other. Jasper and I enjoyed talking about our home state, Texas. And I think Edward just liked that Bella had a human friend that she could be 100% herself with.

Jacob and I had been doing our best to try to be understanding with each other, but it was hard. That's why I agreed to go to prom. I figured we could use one night of normalcy.

We pulled up to Emily's house and I was rushed inside. Delicious smells were coming from the kitchen but I was directed straight to the bathroom to begin my torment. I sat down in the stool in the tiny bathroom as Kim and Emily rushed around, getting together everything I'd need. I looked at all of the bobby pins, hair products, curlers, and make up with wide eyes. Pure torture.

"I'm surprised you're not putting up more of a fight,"

My eyes shot to the doorway of the bathroom where Leah Clearwater was leaning against the frame. I grinned. "What's the point? I'm hoping by being cooperative I can speed this up a little."

Leah's mouth twitched. Emily started messing with my hair, rolling her eyes when I yelped after she tugged on it. Leah couldn't hold back her grin then.

"I'm not really sure what to do," Kim said. She was staring at my face with a look of complete concentration. She picked up foundation and shrugged.

"Wait," Leah said, taking a step into the crowded bathroom. "Don't do her foundation yet. Do the eye shadow first. Then, you won't have to reapply the foundation of you mess up, and any extra shadow that may fall on her cheeks won't stick."

Kim and I stared at Leah in shock but Emily just smiled smugly.

Leah shrugged. "I used to be really into this crap before I started turning into a giant hairy dog."

"Maybe you should do this," Kim said as she shoved the brush toward Leah. "I'll take pictures."

Leah looked down at the makeup and sighed. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

I had to admit, I was impressed with both Leah and Emily. The Leah, Emily, Sam triangle was still in full force but they both seemed to be trying to put that past them. Jacob said that Leah and Emily used to be very close. It was sad that it had all changed. But Leah had starting hanging around Emily's house with the rest of the pack more often. She had sadly told me she had lost a lot of her old friends because of phasing. But slowly Leah and I were becoming friends. I enjoyed her company and she actually could be a lot of fun. Circumstances made her unfriendly but I was hoping to help change that.

Besides the occasional click of the camera, it was quiet as Emily and Leah worked. I couldn't see the mirror, so I had no idea what I looked like, but I was pleased to see that Emily wasn't going too crazy with the hair products.

"Are you excited?" Emily asked after several minutes of silence.

I waited until Leah had finished putting eyeliner on to respond. "Yeah, actually I am a little bit," I said sheepishly. "I've never been to prom before. I'm a little nervous though. Isn't the school small? Won't I stick out?"

"No," Emily said in a comforting tone.

At the same time Leah snorted and said "Yes,"

I looked up to Leah as she seemed to be considering her next words. "You know everyone calls us the La Push gang right? We are so secretive so it causes rumors. Jacob showing up to prom will be a big deal in itself, since we tend to stick together. But then he'll have you there as his date. You're a stranger in a place where everybody knows everybody. Plus your dress probably cost three times what everyone else's dresses cost. La Push isn't exactly the richest community."

I winced. "I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb. I tried to tell Alice not to buy that dress. I had a really simple, cheap one picked out but she insisted." When Alice insisted she help me shop for a prom dress I was excited to have her fashion sense help me pick out a nice one. She picked out a gorgeous but over priced dress for me to try on for fun. I should have known better because as soon as I took it off in the dressing room and handed it back to her to put it on the hanger she headed up to the counter and had it paid for and the price tag cut off of it before I could even get my normal clothes back on.

A frown flickered on Leah's face before she carefully rearranged exotic her features to a more neutral expression. "The dress is really beautiful. And it's not like it is some bright, flashy color or anything, so that helps. The fact is you're a pretty girl, Denae, and you're not Quileute. People are going to notice you no matter what. Don't let it get to you. Just be confident and be yourself and you'll be just fine."

I sighed. "I hope you're right,"

An hour later my makeup and hair was done. I gasped when I looked in the mirror. I wasn't one to worry much over looks, but Leah and Emily had done an amazing job. Emily had carefully styled the ends of my hair into loose curls and pulled it to one side. Messy strands fell around my face and it looked elegant and perfect. Leah had worked her magic and made my eyes look huge and more blue than usual. She gave my eyes a dramatic look without being too over the top. She had carefully applied foundation and blush and powder to make my skin look clear and smooth.

"You guys are amazing! This looks great!" I said happily and turned around to where Emily and Leah were carefully watching my response.

Emily smiled. "You're a beautiful girl so it was easy."

Leah just gave me a small smile. "Come on," She said. "I'll take you back to your house so you can get dressed."

On the ride back to my house Leah was quiet. When we pulled up though, she stiffened. "Your bloodsucker friends are here,"

"Really?" I asked, confused. "Something must be wrong!" I grabbed the umbrella and turned to Leah. "Thanks again! I better go see what's wrong. I'll see you at Billy's before prom starts?"

She nodded distractedly.

"I'll be fine, I promise!" I said as I hopped out of the car and ran into my house.

When I opened the door Rosalie and Alice were standing in my living room. "What's wrong?" I asked, worriedly.

Alice laughed. It was a musical sound that filled the room and calmed me down. "Nothing is wrong! We just wanted to see you in your dress!"

I sighed as relief filled me. "Oh, I thought something had happened."

Rosalie flashed me a brilliant smile. She was always beautiful, but even more so when she was giving you a genuine smile. "That's understandable. Something is always going on around here."

"Go put it on!" Alice shooed me out of the door. "The rest of the family will be here soon! Don't worry; we won't touch you so you won't smell like us. And I didn't touch the dress after I took it to the dry cleaners. Hopefully your dog appreciates this because I really want to give you a hug!"

I chuckled at Alice's enthusiasm as I walked into my bedroom. I carefully undressed, making sure not to mess up my hair or make up, and put the dress on. Thankfully I didn't need any help with the zipper. That would have ruined Alice's no-touching rule.

I looked into my mirror and couldn't help but be surprised at what I saw. The dress Alice bought me was red, strapless, and long. The top half clung to my body and the bottom half was looser. The fabric gathered at my hip, hugging the curves of my hips and behind before flaring out slightly. Sparkling rhinestones formed delicate patterns in the fabric. I felt like I was ready to walk out on the red carpet.

I suddenly heard Emmett's loud laughter, announcing the arrival of the rest of the Cullens. I put on the strappy heels and took one last glance in the mirror as I walked into the living room.

The talking quieted down as I walked into the living room. My eyes went to Jacob instantly, even though I wasn't aware he had arrived. His jaw dropped as he looked at me with amazement. Everyone started talking, but I didn't hear them. I only saw him. I knew I looked nice when I looked in the mirror before. But seeing the way Jacob looked at me made me feel beautiful.

And the sight of Jacob in a tux took my breath away. It was black and he had a matching tie and vest that were the exact same red as my dress. He looked unbelievably handsome and grown up. Seeing Jacob all dressed up is what made me know for sure that going to prom was a good idea.

We seemed to come back to our senses at the same time and we both smiled at each other. I peeled my eyes away from my gorgeous boyfriend and looked at all the smiling faces of the Cullens. "Well, you may smell like a dog, but at least you look nice!" Emmett said after a moment and everyone laughed, even Jacob.

In a whirlwind of compliments, pictures, corsage exchanging, and not-touching Alice insisted that Jacob and I go outside to his car. But when I opened the door, Jacob's Rabbit wasn't waiting for us. A sleek, black limo was.

I turned and looked at the faces of the Cullen family. Alice was bouncing up and down excitedly. "Do you like it?"

Jacob found his tongue before I did. "We can't take this," he said.

I nodded. "Really guys, this is too much," Alice had already bought my dress. There was no way I could accept a _limo_. I was astonished that they had even thought of doing such a thing. I was the imprint of a werewolf that didn't even get along with them very well.

Surprisingly, Bella was the one to answer. "It is because of you guys that I'm still here. If Denae hadn't come along with her knowledge about Victoria and the pack hadn't helped out, who knows what would have happened." Her quiet words touched me and my eyes filled with tears.

"Bella is right," Carlisle said. "This doesn't even begin to cover the debt we owe you. Plus, you are our friends and we wanted to be certain you had an enjoyable time." I couldn't help but smile as Carlisle used the word _friends_. I felt as if the members of the Cullen family were my friends but it was nice to know that these beautiful, graceful, caring people were my friends too.

I started to protest again but Edward cut me off. "Denae, Jacob, you both had to grow up really fast and missed a lot of normal teenage experiences. Neither of you have had it easy. Please, just for this one night, be a pair of normal teenage kids and have fun."

Little by little I felt my resistance slipping away and changing into compliance. "Alright," I sighed and Jacob nodded his agreement. "Wait a minute! That's so not fair, Jasper!" I exclaimed as I realized what was going on.

"Looks like it is just too late now," he drawled with a lazy grin. Alice clapped her hands excitedly.

"Hey! It's stopped raining. Go stand in front of the limo so I can send a picture to Chase." Emmett said as he pointed out the window. When Carlisle had brought Chase to Alaska, Emmett had gone along and he and Chase had become friends. They played video games together over the internet and talked all the time. Emmett had even made a couple trips up to Alaska to hunt with Chase. Rosalie had joked that she was starting to get jealous of my brother because of Emmett's man crush on him.

After I was continually seeing white spots in front of my eyes from all of the flashes, the driver finally opened the door for Jacob and I and we climbed inside. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Two TV screens came down from the ceiling and there was a mini-fridge in the corner. Several knobs for the radio and a six-disc CD changer were located on a panel in the center of the huge backseat along with temperature controls and a button to make the divider glass go up and down. It was like something out of a movie.

"Woah," Jacob said in a breathy voice. "The guys are going to be so jealous."

"Where to, sir?" The driver called over his shoulder.

* * *

After a fast meal and even more pictures at the restaurant I worked at we headed to Jacob's house in La Push. Jacob and I didn't get much of a chance to talk. He was too busy giving the poor driver directions down the curvy roads. I figured he had never driven a limo down a dirt road before.

Billy and Jacob's house was small to begin with. Throw in eight rowdy werewolves, two easily excitable women, and one hyper three year old and it becomes rather cozy.

"Woah…Shorty, you're beautiful!" Seth said as Jacob and I walked inside.

"Thanks, Seth," I said with a small smile. Jacob smiled down at the younger boy, too.

"Damn, Shorty! Are you sure you want to go to prom with this pansy?" Paul jerked a thumb in Jacob's direction. "I hated prom, but I'd be willing to go with you. I'll bet me you and that limo could have a good time." He winked suggestively at me.

Jacob growled in Paul's direction but I just smiled sweetly. "You couldn't pay me, Paul."

I didn't get to see his reaction because Kim was hugging me tightly. "You look so pretty! Aren't you glad we forced you to let us help you get ready?"

I smiled at Kim. "Yes, okay, you win."

Jacob and I took pictures with everyone there. My cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much. After the pictures were finished, Jacob and the rest of the pack went outside to check out the limo. I started out after them, but Billy pulled me to the side.

"I want you to know how much I appreciate you," He said sincerely. "I am so proud of my son for being so dedicated to his role as a protector of the tribe, but it was hard for me to see him give up school and a normal life for it. But you are giving him a chance at that. I know you had a lot to do with convincing him to go back to school and I can never thank you enough."

I gave Billy a huge smile and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You mean a lot to him, Billy. I can just tell. He looks up to you and respects you so much. I wasn't the only one who convinced him to go back. You did, too. You are a great father."

"Thank you, Denae. Now, you two need to get going! You have a prom to attend!" He laughed. "And you look beautiful, Denae." He winked.

"Thank you, Billy!" I said and kissed his cheek. Jacob reappeared and with a smile led me out to the limo.

After we got settled and we were slowly making our way to the high school I sighed. "I'm already worn out and we haven't even made it to prom yet."

Jacob laughed and pulled me in close to him. "I know. This is the first peaceful moment we've had together." He tilted my chin up towards his face. "I haven't had the chance to kiss you yet."

I smiled up at his beautiful face. "Well, I guess we better fix that."

After a long, sweet kiss Jacob pulled away. "I also haven't had the chance to tell you how spectacular you look." He kept me close to his side. "You are seriously so gorgeous, Denae. And that dress…" he trailed off. "I'm a lucky guy!"

I smiled and rested my head on his chest. "You want to talk about gorgeous? Have you looked in the mirror?"

Jacob laughed. "I guess we're a pretty good looking couple, huh?"

When we finally made it to the school I was practically shaking from nervousness. Jacob kept telling me it would be fine but it didn't help. We walked into the gym and I looked around. There were only about sixty kids there. Many gave us curious looks but after a moment, everyone went back to their conversations. Relief swept through me. For some reason I thought that there would be whispers and sneers as we walked in but I was ecstatic to see that we were being treated just like everyone else.

"Told you so," Jacob whispered as he led me to the dance floor. "Now, let's just have fun like everyone else and give this whole 'normal' thing a try okay?"

I grinned and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Okay,"

We danced, laughed, drank punch, and even socialized with some of Jacob's classmates. We had our picture taken by a photographer in front of a balloon arch that was practically falling down. My feet were killing me from my heels and Jacob kept messing with his tie uncomfortably but it was perfect. We spent most of the night just talking, glad to have an evening away from everything.

* * *

"That was a pretty normal post-prom activity, right?" I giggled, still trying to catch my breath.

Jacob chuckled with me as he ran a hand up and down my spine. "I believe so. I mean, normally, I think it takes place in the backseat of a car. But I think that driver was stressed out enough driving around La Push in the dark. The last thing he needed is to roll down that little divider glass to ask for directions and see something he'd probably rather not."

I grinned as I curled closer into Jacob's side. Despite being completely naked I was warm from being wrapped up in his arms. "No kidding," I agreed and sunk further in the blankets on my bed.

"Maybe we can just stay like this forever," Jacob sighed.

It was a nice thought, but we both knew it was impossible. We'd wake up the next day and be back to the world of work, school, and supernatural creatures. I'd go back to worrying about stinking like a vampire, getting ready for Bella's wedding to a vampire, trying not to be embarrassed around my boyfriend's friends after they hear his thoughts and making sure my vampire brother was not sucking blood from innocent humans and not sneaking back to Forks to kill my boyfriend.

I heard Jacob snoring softly and I looked up to see his peaceful face. We may not always have what would be considered a normal life and it may not always be perfect, but Jacob Black would always be worth the sacrifice.


	3. Things Have Changed

**A/N:** Umm...Hi! Hopefully you hadn't given up on me... I've been _(Insert random, typical author excuse here) and am SO SORRY that this chapter has taken so long. Truth be told, I kind of hit a writer's block and lost inspiration for this story...and then I found that my story was being posted (without my permission and without any sort of credit being given to me) on another site and I kind of became irritated. I've taken care of that, and the person who did it apologized and fixed it and I am all good about it now, but as an author it is kinda sucky to have that happen. I will say that I know exactly what I want to happen, it is just getting there that proves difficult sometimes. However, I have worked through it and I've done a lot of just playing with characters, writing in random POVs and gotten a better feel for this story. I will try to do better with updates...but until I'm on break from school, please don't expect them routinely. However, they should occur more frequently. THANK YOU to everyone who is reading this and has stuck with me and put up with me! Ya'll are the best! :) I'll stop rambling and give you what you really want-the chapter! Let me know what you think. As always, I own nothing!

* * *

**SWEET SACRIFICE**

**Chapter 2: Things Have Changed-Bob Dylan**

_People are crazy and times are strange_  
_I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range_  
_I used to care, but things have changed_

_I hurt easy, I just don't show it_  
_You can hurt someone and not even know it_  
_The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity_  
_Gonna get low down, gonna fly high_  
_All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie_**  
**

I tried really hard to contain my gasps of horror and squeals of surprise but after one particularly sharp corner I couldn't help it. I was clutching the expensive leather of Bella Swan's 'before' car with a death grip and silently praying to make it safely to our destination. Bella shot me a glare before turning her attention back to the road.

"Everyone is looking at us," Bella mumbled after jerking to a halt at a stoplight. Her face was reddening as she glanced at the other drivers around us. She was right, they were all staring.

"Well, I don't think they can see us in here. The tint is really dark." I lightly tapped the glass. I was afraid to do anything else for fear that something would break. It would probably cost a whole months pay, or maybe more, to fix anything in this expensive, foreign car.

It was easy to forget how wealthy the Cullen family was. With several lifetimes to accumulate money and a member of the family who happens to be very talented a foreseeing stocks, the Cullens had more money than they knew what to do with. So, naturally, Edward had gotten Bella an obnoxiously expensive car the moment her truck mysteriously bit the dust. It was all a part of some strange compromise the two had.

Bella was still adjusting to the car. I repeated that to myself over and over as we drove to the gas station. The light turned green and we shot forward when Bella applied too much pressure to the gas pedal. She slammed on the breaks again causing me to go flying forward and once again be very grateful for my seatbelt. She shot me a sheepish look before taking off again, at a much slower pace.

We finally made it to the gas station and I got out and stood with Bella as she pumped the gas, just feeling thankful to be on solid ground. A group of guys at another pump were pointing and obviously talking about the car. Bella kept glancing in their direction before flicking her eyes to the slowly turning numbers on the pump and the shiny new credit card in her hand.

She was uncomfortable with all of the wealth the Cullens had and I didn't blame her. Seeing all this was overwhelming for me, I could only imagine how she felt. It made me really appreciate that Jacob wasn't incredibly rich. He had to work hard for what he had, just like I did. It was important that he and I were equals and although he had super-strength, shape-shifting abilities, and was immortal, I knew were on the same level. We would probably always have a simple life (well, as simple as possible in our circumstance) and I was happy with that.

I was interested in continuing my education though. I had recently picked up some brochures for the University of Washington in Seattle. I had been thinking a lot about the future and I wanted to do something that would make a difference. I had been considering going to school to get a degree in social work or sociology. But I wasn't sure what Jacob would say about it and I was nervous to bring it up to him.

"Um, excuse me," a voice interrupted my thoughts, "what kind of car is that?" One of the guys from the other pump had finally gotten enough courage to approach us.

Bella frowned and then shrugged. "Um, a Mercedes, right?"

The four exchanged looks. "Yeah…it's a Mercedes Guardian," the guy replied in a tone of disbelief.

Bella just shrugged and quickly put the gas pump back in its holder.

"Do you care if we take some pictures with it?" another guy asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Bella said before quickly retreating to the car.

I tried to smile at the group of guys. "Need me to take a picture?"

"That'd be awesome, thanks!"

They all posed around the hood of the car. "You realize this car hasn't even been released out on the market yet, right?" One guy asked me.

I just nodded and went along.

"It's practically indestructible," he continued. "It could literally take on a tank and come out unharmed. Nothing can hurt this car. It's got missile proof glass!" he paused as I snapped a couple pictures. "Are you guys someone important?" He laughed nervously.

I couldn't help the smirk that formed on my face as I handed him back his camera. "Do you know those little paper umbrellas they put in fruity alcoholic drinks?"

They all nodded.

"Our great granddaddy invented those. We are heiresses to the paper umbrella fortune and with the way the economy is, people are drinking more to relieve stress. Let's just say the paper umbrella business is booming." I winked and opened the car door. "Ya'll have a nice day now, okay?"

I shut the door and looked over at Bella with a grin. "That was fun,"

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," She said with an eye roll as she started the car and gently eased her way out of the parking lot. "I'm sure Edward is enjoying himself right now laughing with his brothers about how poor clumsy Bella has the indestructible car with the missile proof glass. They probably have bet going as to how soon I will destroy it."

I frowned. "I don't think Edward got this car for you to laugh at you, Bells." I replied. "I think he did it because he cares about you and he wants you safe. He wouldn't have anything to live for if he lost you, Bella. He wants to protect you any way possible."

Bella opened her mouth to respond and then shut it. We were silent for a few moments before she finally spoke.

"You know, maybe you're right. I didn't think about that." She said quietly.

I smiled softly at my friend. "We're just simple mortals, Bells, we're breakable. Well, I am at least. You won't be for long." I snapped my mouth shut and looked away quickly. I was approaching a topic that Bella and I hadn't really spoken about yet. We talked over and over about her wedding, but we never spoke about the fact that sometime after she became Mrs. Cullen she'd also become a vampire. However, Jacob and I had exhausted that topic of conversation to the point of anytime it came up I instantly got a headache.

The silence between Bella and I seemed to fill the car like a thick, heavy fog. It was awkward and I shifted slightly in my seat, wanting to say something to fill the quiet, but unsure of what exactly to say.

"Is this where you tell me what an awful idea it is?" She said quietly, keeping her gaze straight ahead. "Or try to talk me out of it by making me feel guilty for what I'm leaving behind?"

I frowned and shook my head. "No, this is where I tell you that I support your choice." I sighed. "Look, Bella, you and Edward were obviously made for each other. I can see it, you can see it, he can see it, and so can everyone else. You know what you are sacrificing and you know what you are gaining. It's your decision and you've made it. And as your friend I'm supporting you." I paused for a moment, considering my words. "I will miss you, though." I added softly.

We had pulled up in front of the Swan residence. I watched as drops of rain hit my window and ran down the dark tinted windows.

"I'm going to miss you, too." Bella whispered. "You, and Jake, and Charlie and Renee." I glanced over at her when I heard her pause. She was starting out her window, too. "But, what I feel for Edward…" she trailed off.

"I know," I said simply.

She smiled and shook her head. "I should have known you'd be the one to make me feel better about it. I feel like everyone is so against me on it. It's nice to know that someone just wants me to do what _I_ want to do."

I smiled back. "Bells, I've got your back no matter what. That's what friends are for."

We got out of the car and headed into Bella's house.

"Why, hello there, Denae," Charlie greeted me as I walked into the kitchen with Bella. "I was just getting ready to head down to La Push to visit with Billy a bit before the ceremony."

I smiled back at Charlie. Bella said that Charlie loved me partly because he loved Jacob but mostly because I got her away from Edward.

"That will be good. Be sure to tell Billy to save me a seat." I replied. I like Charlie a lot, too. It was easy to see how much he cared about Bella and he was just all around a good guy.

"I will. I'll see you two at the ceremony, don't be late." He chuckled as he headed out the door.

"Bye, Dad." Bella replied with a smile.

We listened as the Charlie's police cruiser started up and pulled down the drive.

"Five, four, three, two…" I said, looking toward the door expectantly.

The door opened and Edward was standing there with a smirk. "One," he finished.

Bella stood and smiled for the first time that day as he walked towards her. The two hugged. I looked back towards the door as Alice came in behind Edward, her arms full of bags. Jasper trailed behind her, carrying even more stuff.

"Hi guys," I greeted my vampire friends. "Alrighty, let's get the show on the road. I have to get back home and figure out what I'm wearing tonight."

Alice just smiled and waved her hand. "No need, I have an outfit for you. And even though I can't see how it's going to look on you, I know it'll be great. This whole seeing nothing when it comes to you has really put my shopping skills to the test, Denae." She stuck her tongue out at me as she started going through a bag.

"Good thing she's got a lot of experience," Jasper added with a smile.

"Okay, we are done with you two now leave," Alice made shooing motions with her hand towards Edward and Jasper. "We have a dress fitting for the bridesmaid and you guys can't be here."

Bella sighed and Edward leaned down to whisper in her ear. I felt like I was intruding watching them but I couldn't help it. I loved watching Bella and Edward interact. I'm normally not incredibly emotional or sappy, but the way those two looked at each other reminded me of Jacob and me. The only difference is that we would probably be making stupid faces at each other to make the other person laugh. Bella and Edward were a little more serious.

"Have fun hunting!" I told Edward and Jasper as they left. "Bring down a grizzly for me!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here!" Alice said impatiently. When she was sure they were gone she turned towards me with a smile. "Ready?"

I grinned. "Bring it on,"

Forty five minutes later Alice was certain the dress fit perfectly and I was complaining that my arms hurt form holding them out for so long. I glanced at the clock. "Okay, I really gotta go! I only have an hour to get ready!" I needed more time, I knew. It was Jacob's graduation and I wanted to look nice. I was so proud of him and I wanted everything to be perfect.

Alice smiled at me. "Stay here, I'll be done with you in fifteen minutes."

I sighed. "No offense, Alice, but my boyfriend thinks you stink."

"Well I happen to think that mutt stinks too," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "He knows you were spending time with me today, right?" I nodded in response. "And he's obviously okay with it since you are here."

I heard Bella snort as I scoffed. "Oh, please, Alice. If I wanted to do something I'd do it. I don't need his permission. And Jacob knows better than to tell me what to do."

Alice smiled. "Which is why if you smell like a vampire he'll just grin and bear it."

I pursed my lips. "Yeah, but this is his special day. I don't want to be stinky on his special day."

"Wouldn't you rather look amazing?" Alice countered. "I'm sure you'll do fine, but I have had a _lot_ of experience." She smiled as she opened up a shopping bag and pulled out a dress. "Plus, I have _this!"_

My eyes widened as I took in the pretty blue dress Alice held in her hands. I groaned. "Okay, you win," I glanced at Bella. "Good luck putting up with this one for the rest of eternity."

Alice just giggled and rolled her eyes. "I brought all of my supplies, too. Let's get started!"

True to her word, fifteen minutes later I was pulling on the knee-length light blue dress and shaking my head as Alice worked at vampire-speed on Bella.

"Alice, someone with as much energy as you should not have vampire speed," I said decidedly as I adjusted the straps on the dress.

I heard Bella laugh before Alice scolded her about moving when being made up. "I'm going to go pick up Billy." I said as I slipped on a pair of heels. "I'll see you at the graduation, Bella. Bye, Alice."

Bella just waved because Alice was shooting her a warning glance as she closed in with an eyeliner pencil. I smiled to myself as I hopped in my car and headed to La Push

Thirty minutes later Billy and I were sitting in the cafeteria/gymnasium/auditorium at the Quileute Tribal School. It appeared that everyone from the reservation was in the tiny room, along with several others who didn't live in La Push, such as Charlie and Bella. The music began to play and we all began clapping as the seniors began to file in. My eyes instantly found Jacob and I got the feeling that I would be able to find him even if he wasn't the tallest and biggest guy in the whole room; he was even bigger than Embry and Quil. Somehow, Jacob still hadn't stopped growing. He frowned at me quickly before shaking his head and sitting down. Embry and Quil did the same. They could smell Alice on me. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat.

The ceremony was quick. We all cheered as loud as possible when Jacob, Embry, and Quil's names were called. Billy had tears in his eyes as he watched his son take long strides across the stage to receive his diploma. I couldn't help the huge grin on my face. I was so proud of Jacob. I could tell he was happy too, the imprint bond between us was buzzing with joy.

Our bond had become stronger recently. It was strange. I could feel Jacob's emotions, but generally they were so dependent on my own, just as mine were dependent on him, that I often confused them with my own emotions. I could tell when he needed me and I could tell when he was happy. But the best thing about it is that I could feel his love for me all the time. It wasn't as nice as having him next to me, but it still made our necessary separations bearable. I asked Jacob about why it seemed to be getting stronger and he just shrugged and said he had been getting stronger in the pack, too. He was the second-in-command and he was starting to have more pull over some pack memebers.

When the ceremony ended, I left quickly to go help Emily and Kim finish setting up for the celebratory bonfire we were holding for the graduates of the pack. They had a ton of food and I knew it would be a lot of fun but a lot of work. As the girlfriend of one of the graduates I felt as if I should help as much as possible.

Seth, Paul, Jared, and Brady showed up a few minutes later.

"Shorty!" Seth called as he jogged off to go help Emily unpack the car. "You look pretty!"

I smiled up at the approaching group of guys. I was happy to see them; it had been a few days. "Hi guys! Thanks, Seth."

"Too bad you _reek_." Paul said with a glare.

I frowned at him. "Are we really going to get into this now, Paul?" I sat down the plate of cookies I had been carrying and put my hands on my hips as I turned to face him.

Seth was the only member of the pack, Jacob included, who liked the Cullens and didn't see anything wrong with my friendship with them. The others disapproved of my closeness with vampires, and gave Jacob a hard time about it.

His jaw set into a hard line as he narrowed his dark eyes at me. "You're a leech lover, now. There's not much to get into." I saw him cross his arms, effectively hiding his fists, which was a sure sign he was losing his temper and was trying to hide it. Anger fluttered up inside of me but I pushed it down. I knew better than to aggravate a werewolf, especially one with anger management issues.

"Paul lets drop it before things get out of control." I said in an even tone.

"Oh what, Denae? Are you _afraid_ of me? Isn't that just hilarious? The leech lover is afraid of _me._" His voice was cold and harsh, so unlike the Paul I was used to. "Maybe you should have thought about that before showing up stinking like a bloodsucker. I guess we should all just get used to it since you are _related_ to one."

"Seriously, Paul, let's not argue," I said after taking a deep breath Brady and Jared were avoiding my gaze. "We are here to celebrate, not to fight." I said as I felt my chin rise in defiance. I couldn't help it; his attitude was really starting to irritate me.

Paul's eyes narrowed. His body was visibly shaking now. "Apparently you have forgotten who your _family _is. I guess you like shiny cars and new clothes better than you like us."

I sucked in a breath. That was a low blow. "Paul, you know that's not true. I just know that the Cullens aren't bad people. Now you really need to calm down before things get out of control."

A tremor passed through his body as he gritted his teeth. "You _don't_ tell me what to do," he growled angrily as his fists dropped to his sides. He took a couple steps towards me until he was right in front of me, towering over me and glaring down with so much anger in his eyes that it seemed to be come palpable. I started to get that same sense of panic that I did when I was with Grant. I could feel it creeping up my spine and I knew that a flashback was coming. So much anger and yelling. And so much pain; I could vividly remember the pain.

I froze up. I just stared up at Paul as he continued to shake.

"What? Now you're scared?" he shouted and I stopped breathing. "I'll give you something to be scared about!" He grabbed my arm much harder than he probably realized and I couldn't help but cry out a little in pain.

"Paul!" Seth appeared suddenly and stepped in between us, pulling Paul's hand off of me. "Back off, now!"

I could hear Paul breathing hard and I knew he was out of control. I heard clothes ripping and shredding, tell-tale sounds of phasing, and suddenly I was picked up and put down several yards away. I watched as Seth phased in front of me and took up a defensive stance. His long, gangly legs were planted to the ground as he crouched in front of me. Usually, when Seth was phased I thought he looked like a goofball, but there was nothing silly about the snarl on his face now. I was shocked at how a happy-go-lucky sixteen year old boy could turn into an intimidating, scary creature so quickly.

"Denae!" I heard Jacob yell my head snapped in his direction as he sprinted down to the beach. I didn't relax until his arms were around me and I could feel his constant, comforting warmth. My heart was still pounding as I forced myself to breathe him in and calm down.

"What the hell is going on here?" He growled angrily. He was looking at where Jared and Brady were standing protectively in front of Kim and Emily but none of them answered, they just all avoided Jacob's glare.

Paul growled and phased back and I quickly averted my eyes.

"You girlfriend should know better than to show up at a pack function smelling like a bloodsucker," Paul said through gritted teeth.

I could fell a tremor race through Jacob and I started to rub small circles on his arm to calm him down a little. Jacob started unbuttoning his shirt and unzipping his jeans. He handed his clothes to me. "Seth, phase back, take my clothes, and bring Denae to my house. I need to have a conversation with Paul." He said in a voice that was so calm it was scary. He ran towards Paul, jumped and phased in midair. Paul phased a moment behind Jacob and bounded off into the woods, Jacob was right behind him. Seth phased back and I looked away but held out Jacob's clothes for him to put on.

"What the hell was that you guys?" Seth said in a tone that I had never heard from the young teenager. "You didn't even say anything." I looked up when I heard the zipper for Jacob's jeans and saw that Seth was dressed in Jacob's clothes. There were kind of falling off of him and if the situation was different I would have laughed, but now I only looked towards where Seth was glaring at Jared and Brady.

Jared rubbed the back of his neck. "Paul's kind of got a point," Jared said, looking anywhere but at me. "She did show up here smelling like a vampire."

Seth rolled his eyes and put his arm around me. "I don't care if she showed up smelling like horse crap. You don't treat an imprint like that. And you don't treat a friend like that. Come on, Shorty, let's go."

I walked to my car with Seth, silently processing everything that had happened. I looked down and my hands were shaking and I realized I was still taking shallow, ragged breaths. I was on the verge of a breakdown and what I really needed was Jacob.

"Are you all leaving so soon?" I heard Charlie ask as he helped Billy out of his cruiser.

"Yeah, Denae's not feeling to well," Seth said smoothly. "I'm taking her to Billy and Jacob's to rest. I think Paul and Jacob went to go get her some medicine."

"You seemed fine at the graduation," Charlie said with a frown.

I nodded. "Yeah, it just hit me all of the sudden. I'm afraid it's food poising." The lie slipped smoothly from my lips. I was really way too good at it.

"Well, I hope you feel better," Charlie said, clearly buying the story. "Let me know if Bells or I can do anything to help you."

"Thanks, Charlie."

Billy grabbed my hand. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked. It was evident he didn't believe our story and knew something else was up. He could tell I was shaken up.

"I think so. Seth took care of me." I patted Seth's arm where it was around my shoulder protectively. Billy just nodded, but his eyes told me he was worried. I forced a smile. "I'll be fine. I'm sure it'll just pass." And with that, Seth and I headed to my car.

"Are you okay, Shorty?" Seth asked after we had gotten in and he had started the car. "I've had my license for a whole month; you're not that scared of my driving are you?"

I let out a shaky, breathy laugh and shook my head as I squeezed my eyes shut. I could just manage to shake my head no. I didn't risk talking.

"Hey," Seth said softly. I opened my eyes and looked over to where Seth was looking at me worriedly. "Were you having a flashback?"

I nodded as my eyes welled up with tears. "Almost," I whispered.

"Shh," He said softly as he grabbed my hand. "You're okay, you're safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. Not that asshole who hurt you before, not Paul, no one, okay? I got your back, Shorty. You don't have to be scared."

I felt myself relax a little. "Thanks, Seth." I whispered. It was all I could manage.

The ride to Jacob's house was silent. Seth had a way of knowing just what you needed and he could tell that I needed some space. He carefully drove the winding roads of La Push and I couldn't help but think of how for a kid who had just gotten his driver's license, he was awfully mature. I was incredibly thankful for him.

I also couldn't help but think of the way that not only Jared and Brady avoided my gaze, but Kim and Emily, too. It was like they agreed with Paul. My heart broke a little as I realized that the pack wasn't whole like it used to. There was a divide but only time would tell how large that division was.


	4. Breathe

A/N: An update...it's not the best...but it's an update. I promise they'll start getting better. :)

* * *

**SWEET SACRIFICE**

**Chapter 3: Breathe-Faith Hill**

_I can feel the magic floating in the air _  
_Being with you gets me that way _  
_I watch the sunlight dance across your face _  
_And I've never been this swept away _  
_All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze _  
_When i'm lying wrapped up in your arms _  
_The whole world just fades away _  
_The only thing I hear _  
_Is the beating of your heart_****

"Seth, get the hell off of my girlfriend,"

The words woke me up with a start. I sat up quickly and looked around as I squinted against the bright light illuminating the room. That is when I noticed that Seth was half sitting, half laying on top of me at the end of the couch clutching my legs as he yawned tiredly.

"Seth! I mean it. Stop touching her." Now that I was awake I recognized it as Jacob's voice. He was standing with his arms folded in the small doorway of his home. It took me a moment to remember what I was doing at Jacob's house and then it all came rushing back to me. Paul, the freak out, the phasing, the stinking like a bloodsucker. I closed my eyes again hoping it would all go away. But when I opened them Jacob was still glaring at Seth and Seth was still hugging my legs.

"She's comfy," I heard Seth mumble. He looked so young and innocent as he squinted against the light Jacob must have turned on. I glanced at the clock. It was 7:00 at night, nearly 2 hours since we left La Push beach. I hadn't realized I fell asleep.

Jacob growled slightly and I could tell he was not in a good mood. I quickly removed my legs from Seth's grasp, while I tried to determine if his anger was directed at me in any way. After all, it was my fault he and Paul had gotten into a fight. He was avoiding my gaze, which made me think he was mad at me. I honestly wasn't emotionally ready to deal with his anger and disappointment today. "Seth, leave." Jacob snapped.

That was my breaking point.

"Stop being so mean," I said in a shaky voice. I was about to burst into tears at any moment but I was forcing myself to be strong and stubborn about this. "Seth has gone way out of his way for me today. He doesn't deserve to be talked to like that. I don't care how mad at me you are, Jacob. Don't take it out on Seth. He's done nothing wrong."

"I'm not mad at you," Jacob said quickly before sighing and rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Seth. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just sore and exhausted."

I frowned as I looked closely at Jacob. There was an angry pink scratch that ran down his arm and he was definitely keeping his weight off of one foot. His shoulders were slumped and I could make out the beginning of another pink scratch on his back. He was beat up. Well, as beat up as a werewolf could get.

"How much worse off is Paul?" Seth asked with a lazy grin as he stood up and stretched again.

Jacob looked down at his feet. "He hasn't been able to phase back yet."

"How pissed is Sam?" Seth's smirk grew a little.

Jacob sighed and his shoulders slumped a little more. I could feel through the connection we had that something was bothering him. "Very." He answered quietly.

"Well, I'm keeping these pants. I'll grow into them one day!" Seth said with a smile as he walked to the door. "Goodbye, Shorty. Don't let grumpy over there be mean to you. If he is you call me and let me take care of him."

I gave Seth a genuine smile. There was something about the kid that was infectious. He just radiated happiness. "Okay. And thank you for today, Seth. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Probably kicked their butts," Seth answered with a smile and a wave. The door closed behind him and I sighed and looked at Jacob.

He stood with his arms crossed and just looked at me for several moments. I stared back into his dark brown eyes trying to read whatever was there. As always, whenever Jacob was near my skin was tingling, anticipating the contact of his warm skin on mine. My heartbeat always seemed to pick up just slightly, almost imperceptibly, but I could still tell. And I could feel his love wash over me. It was a feeling that always took me a little by surprise, even though it happened all the time.

Slowly, Jacob moved towards me. He sat down on the couch and I automatically moved closer to him. It was a reflex. I always wanted to be near him, touching him, breathing him in. I needed Jacob, craved him even. He pulled me up into his lap and leaned back on the couch, clutching me close. I rested my head above his heart and reveled in how its beat seemed to be right in time with mine. The worries, then tension, the stress of the day melted away. I finally felt calm and safe.

Falling in love was magical; there was no doubt about that. But being imprinted, completed bonded with the one person who was your true soul mate, was something completely different. It transcended myth and legend and magic. It was natural, like breathing. It was embedded deep within Jacob and I, in our DNA and it surpassed anything I could have ever imagined before. But somehow, it seemed like it was normal part of me. As if my whole life I was just waiting for this.

We just sat, clutching each other close as the sun continued its descent. We didn't sleep, or talk, or anything. We just sat and held one another and felt. I could feel Jacob's love, and his complete dedication to me. I could feel his fear and worry over me that flowed right in to the fierce protectiveness he had of me. I felt my own love and adoration for Jacob. I felt how my concern about him being safe and not getting hurt and my own fierce protectiveness of Jacob. As silly as it seems, I would do anything to keep him safe. I knew that deep down in my heart.

Finally, after nearly an hour of silence, Jacob spoke. "I don't remember a whole lot about my mom," he paused and cleared his throat; he had gone hoarse from not speaking. "But I do remember one time; we were down at the beach here in La Push…" I looked up and saw him gazing out the window towards the beach, looking as if he was seeing the scene in his mind. "There was a group of tourists there. A regular old garden snake had made its way to where a couple of older kids were sitting. They were terrorizing the poor snake, they had caught in a bucket and were going to try and drown it.

"My mom saw that and she got so mad. She grabbed me up and stomped over to the kids. She snatched the bucket from them and let the snake escape. The kids were so mad; they yelled at her and asked her why she let a nasty snake go. They were going to kill it because they said it deserved to die. It was a killer." He paused and I saw him shake his head. "That made my mom even madder. But she still spoke so calmly when she said. 'I won't stand by and watch you kill a creature that did nothing wrong to you, simply because you are ignorant.' Then she proceeded to tell them off to the point that they packed up their stuff and left. As we were walking back, I asked her why she stood up for the snake. I'll never forget what she said.

"'Jacob,' she said. 'It would have been easy to just sit back and watch them drown that snake. But it would have been wrong. Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do. I want you to always remember that, son.'"

I felt tears prickle my eyes. There were several reasons behind my emotion. First of all, I ached for Jacob's loss. I could tell how much he missed his mother, even though he claimed he was too young to really remember her. Secondly, I knew that what Jacob wasn't saying was that he understood that I was just standing up for what I believed in. But it was hard for him to do the same. And finally, I was sad because Sarah Black reminded me so much of my own mother.

"I think that I would have really liked your mom, Jacob." I said softly.

Jacob sighed and clutched me closer. "You would have. And I know that she would have loved you. Do you want to know why?"

I just nodded my head.

"Because you are strong, but most importantly because you are compassionate. You care for others, and you see the best in them. You are so stubborn about doing what is right."

We were quiet for a little while after that, still just holding each other.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I heard Jacob take a deep breath and felt his chest rise and fall with the action. "You don't have anything to apologize for." He said sternly.

I shook my head. "I ruined your graduation."

Jacob sighed and once again I felt it as my head rose and fell with his chest. "No you didn't. _Paul_ ruined my graduation." I felt his arms tighten around me a little. "Plus I'm getting to spend time alone with you. That's good enough for me."

I shook my head. "No, it's not. I completely ruined the day by showing up after I knew everyone would be able to smell Alice on me." I closed my eyes again. "It was stupid."

"Denae," Jacob said in the same firm voice. "I want you to stop thinking like that right now. It shouldn't matter. We have a treaty with the Cullens and we can't attack them unless they come onto our land or bite a human. They haven't done either…yet." He sighed and I knew he was thinking about Bella, but I didn't feel like fighting so I kept my mouth shut. "Paul should also know that you do whatever the hell you want to do and that somehow you see good in the Cullens. Sure, Paul could have been pissed at you about it but he should have kept his mouth shut and he shouldn't have phased with you near and out in the open. Sam was so mad at him for that."

I closed my eyes tightly as I thought about how bad it could have been. "It was still messed up. I swear once the wedding is over this weekend it'll be much easier." The words slipped out before I could control them and I felt Jacob stiffen.

"You're still going to be in the wedding?" he asked in a quiet voice.

I hesitated before I answered. "Yes," I kept it simple. I didn't need to state my argument. Jacob already knew where I stood on the issue.

I could feel a slight tremor pass through his body and I froze, afraid of Jacob getting angry. "There isn't anything I can say that will change your mind, is there?" His words were quiet.

Again I hesitated, "No," and again I kept it simple.

He sighed and then started to push me off of him.

"Wait, Jacob, please don't push me away because of this!" I said

"I'm not pushing you away," he said with a defeated sigh as he sat me next to him on the bed. "Billy and Charlie are coming down the road. And you, young lady, are supposed to be sick in bed."

Thirty minutes later I was heading out to my car to go home and Jacob was preparing to go patrol. Charlie had just left after he was thoroughly convinced I was sick, but not enough to be worried about. Jacob phased, licked my face, and disappeared into the trees. I snuck back in and laid his graduation present on his pillow; two tickets to a car show in Seattle in the fall. I knew he'd be excited about them.

After saying goodbye to Billy again I walked back out to my car. I was in my own little world, thinking about all the ways I wanted Jacob to thank me for the car show tickets when a warm hand touched my arm. I looked up quickly to see Paul standing over me with an intense look on his face.

I couldn't help but be startled and I dropped my keys and quickly took a step back. "P-paul," I said in surprise.

He swiftly bent down and picked up my keys. Slowly his hand came out as he made a movement to hand them to me. I didn't reach for them. "Jacob knows I'm here." He said quietly.

I finally tore my eyes from his hands to his face. It appeared that he was still in the healing process. Jacob was already back to normal when he left so I knew that Paul must have been pretty hurt. I could still see several pink-colored scars, a few fading bruises and it appeared that his nose was still broken. I silently was thankful that I didn't have to see the violent side of Jacob. "That's…that's good," I said softly.

"I'm here to apologize." The words did not slide easily off of Paul's tongue. I could tell this wasn't easy for him. He was not one to feel guilty or apologize for his actions. "I'm sorry I got so angry and phased with you near." He sighed. "I just…you're just like family, Denae. And it's in my nature to freak out when I smell a bloodsucker. So, smelling one on you was just really hard on me. It's dumb I know, but I couldn't help but just get angry. My natural instinct is to protect people I care about from vampires and I care about you so I had a hard time with it."

I felt the tension begin to subside as I sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry too. It was stupid of me to show up like that." I shook my head. "It won't happen again." A thought flitted across my mind and I spoke before I really thought about it. "Oh, do I still smell?"

Paul smirked a little. "No, you don't stink like a vampire any more. Actually…all I can smell is Jacob."

"That's weird,"

Paul laughed. It was a loud, somewhat obnoxious sound, but I knew that we were okay. When he was done, I reached up and hugged him. "I know we still disagree, but we're still family," he said decidedly.

I smiled. "I can agree with that,"

I spent the ride home smiling happily to myself. As I was pulling into my driveway my phone rang.

"Hello?" I said, not recognizing the number.

"Denae, its Chase."

My smile brightened. It had been over a week since I had last heard from my brother. "Chase! How are you?"

"I'm…really, really good." He said and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Things…are great."

I smiled, happy that he was doing well. His first several weeks in Alaska with the Denali clan were hard on him. He just wanted to be back here in Forks with me.

"I'm coming back for Bella and Edwards's wedding," he said suddenly and my huge smile grew even more.

"Seriously? That's awesome!" I said happily. I missed my brother. I finally had him back, but I wasn't able to see him and somehow that was almost worse than thinking he was gone.

"Yeah. I have a surprise for you when I get there." He said with a light chuckle.

I groaned. "I hate surprises!" He knew this, which was exactly why he said something.

"I know, that's why I said it," he said as he laughed, confirming my thoughts.

I huffed. "That's not very nice,"

He laughed again and I couldn't help but be amazed at how happy he sounded. Things really must be going good for him in Alaska. "How's the game in Alaska?" I asked with a smirk. "Take down any big elk?"

"Oh man, you have no idea!" He said excitedly. "Tanya took me to this beautiful secluded area. There were a ton of them. It was awesome. Tanya knows all the best places to go."

I frowned a little. Bella had told me about Tanya, and I hadn't quite made my decision about her, but Chase seemed to think she and the rest of the Denali family were great. I'd be meeting them at the wedding. I was happy to find that the thought of Bella and Edward's wedding didn't make me feel guilty anymore, since Jacob and I had talked.

"Listen, I gotta go, Dee." Chase said. "I can't wait to see you this weekend. Just wait until you see the color of my eyes! They're gold, baby!"

I grinned. "Awesome! I'll see you then. I love you Chase."

"Love you too, Dee."

I made it into my house and collapsed on my couch with a yawn. It had been a long, emotionally draining day.

"Don't get too comfortable," a light musical voice said, making me jump in surprise. Alice came around the other side of the couch. "We're going lingerie shopping for the bride to be!"

I groaned as she dragged me out of my seat and to my car, but I didn't protest. Putting up with supernatural creatures in your daily life was exhausting, but they were persistent and usually got what they wanted. I got my phone out and sent Jacob a quick text, letting him know where I was before I turned to Alice.

"I really hope my boyfriend doesn't have to fight another werewolf because of you, Alice."


	5. Come Back to Me

Well, I'm alive! I'm not really what I should cite as my reason for not updating in such a long time. Not enough time? Lack of inspiration? Burn out? Insecurity? All of the above, probably. But, I have spent some MAJOR time with this story and I feel more prepared to update more consistently. Honestly, I should have taken a break in between The Cure & Sweet Sacrifice but I was just so excited with where this story was going that I jumped right in. Then, I realized I hadn't prepared for it enough and I let you down as an author. Every time I got another review asking for more, I'd sit down and write a little bit...However, today I got a message from twilightgirl00000001 and she asked me if I was okay since I hadn't posted in awhile. That gave me the final push I needed to finish this chapter and post it. So, this chapter is dedicated to her. To everyone else - Thank you for your words of encouragement. I hope you like this chapter & the ones that follow! I've missed you all!

**Come Back to Me – David Cook**

_You say you gotta go and find yourself _  
_You say that you're becoming someone else _  
_Don't recognize the face in the mirror _  
_Looking back at you _

_You say you're leavin _  
_As you look away _  
_I know theres really nothin left to say _  
_Just know i'm here _  
_Whenever you need me _  
_I'll wait for you _

I probably should have seen it coming but for some reason —I didn't.

"She's your _what?" _My voice was slightly louder than what was appropriate and I caught the attention of a few people standing near us.

My brother's golden eyes looked down at me. They began to fill with disappointment. It was funny how much he still looked like the human version of himself even through the supernatural beauty. It was a good thing I wasn't very vain; otherwise being around all of these unnaturally gorgeous people would have given me a complex.

"I thought you would be happy for me," Chase said as his lips tugged down into a frown.

"Of course I am!" I said, quickly sensing his mood change. "It just took me by surprise. That's all." I turned my gaze to the person, or vampire, in question, Tanya. She was observing the conversation between my brother and I with rapt interest before turning her smile to me. Her lips were painted perfectly blood red (I thought it was very fitting, even though she was a 'vegetarian vampire' like the Cullens) and her teeth were blinding white.

"He wanted to tell you for a while now. It was actually my idea to wait to tell you. I thought it would be a conversation that was more appropriate in person." Her smile turned to my brother and I almost thought I sensed love in her gaze. As he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and beamed down at her I could tell that he cared for her.

I decided I'd wrap my head around my brother telling me that Tanya was his mate, girlfriend, or whatever, later and for now just be happy that he was happy. It was complicated on so many levels. Tanya's sister was upset with the Cullens and hated the pack for killing Laurent, her mate, when he tried to kill Bella. Yet Tanya was in love with the sister of an imprint. It was a mess – the story of my life.

I forced myself to stop thinking about the complexities of the relationship. "I'm very happy for you, Chase." I said, plastering my best smile on my face. "For both of you. And it's great to meet you, Tanya."

"I hope we can spend some time together sometime," Tanya said, a faint accent playing around her voice; although, it was only because I knew the truth about her that I even noticed. "I'd like to get to you know more. And maybe find out what Chase was like back when he was a human. I find it fascinating. He's so young." She smiled again as Chase pushed a tendril of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. They made a very attractive pair, the two of them. They both looked like they belonged on the red carpet in Hollywood.

I forced my smile larger. I heard Alice call for me from the other side of the room, motioning that it was time to take pictures. We were at the reception after Bella's wedding—which for some reason my brother thought would be the appropriate setting to drop the 'I've found my mate' bomb. I mean she was _centuries_ older than him. It was too much for me.

"Well, I better go before Alice eats me," I said, forcing myself to chuckle and be happy for my brother and his new found love. Tanya and Chase said their goodbyes and I scurried off to take pictures.

Alice was working on a poor attempt to keep a straight face when I made it to the other side of the room.

"You knew," I hissed under my breath, fully aware that every vampire in the room, including my brother and his girlfriend, could hear me.

"Of course I knew," she said in her musical voice. "We can't chat though…it's picture time!"

Bella was standing to the side, gazing up at Edward as he gazed back down at her. They were married now. It still didn't seem real. The ceremony had ended about an hour earlier and it was nice and simple. I couldn't take my eyes off of the two of them. Their love was different than what you see on a day-to-day basis. It was intense and deep. It made me happy. It reminded me of my bond with Jacob. But we weren't really the poster children for a happy couple at the moment.

It wasn't that I was unhappy. In fact, I was incredibly happy and still just as in love with Jacob as I had always been, maybe even more so. But all of the drama surrounding Bella and Edward's wedding had taken a toll on our relationship. And the night before for the first time in months I slept the whole night in my bed by myself. I knew because I stayed awake nearly the whole night waiting for him.

I forced myself to focus on smiling and looking happy for the pictures. These were going to be how Bella and Edward remember their wedding forever, in the most literal since of the term.

After being blinded by the flashes, the groups from the photos began to disperse. As I was walking to grab a bottle of water, I immediately turned towards the big glass doors that lead to the Cullen's backyard. My body reacted; and I knew Jacob was near. I began moving towards the doors the same time Edward did. We met in front of them.

_Let me talk to him, Edward._ I thought and he nodded.

I took a deep breath and walked out to the night. I walked towards the wooded area where I knew Jacob was. It was cloudy and the usual vibrant greens and deep browns of the forest were muted as the dark covered them.

"Jacob," I whispered as he walked into the area lit from the bright lights inside. The muffle of voices and music seemed to fade away and all I heard was the pounding of my heart. The light cast shadows over his face and I couldn't see his eyes but I knew they were staring into mine.

"You look beautiful," his voice was soft as his warm hands wrapped around me. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I've been acting like such a jerk to you. I can feel how much I've hurt you. I'm sorry,"

"Shhhh," I whispered back. "It's alright. I understand where you're coming from, you know that right?" I stared up at him, willing him to know that I wasn't angry with him.

He nodded. "I-I need to talk to her," his eyes flicked to the doors behind me. "She's still my friend and I just—I need to talk to her."

I nodded, knowing this is what Jacob needed. He and Bella had been through a lot together, and they were still best friends. I was able to accept that. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make the jealously in me flare up, but after a moment I was able to control it. I gave Jacob a small smile before I turned towards the door.

Bella was looking over Edward's shoulder and I could tell he was struggling with whether or not to let her come outside. I began to walk back up to the house and smiled to myself as I thought about how Jacob would never have to consider that with me. If I want to do something, I do it. He knew better than that. I heard Edward groan as my thoughts reached him and he turned and spoke softly to Bella. She was headed out the door moments after and paused next to me. "Thanks," she whispered and I smiled.

Edward sighed. "Shall we dance? It will be less obvious than standing here looking out the door."

I smiled. "Sure,"

There were several people already dancing as we walked out to the dance floor. I remembered my mom signing Chase up for ballroom dance lessons offered at the University of North Texas because he had a part in a play that he had to perform a waltz. He had needed a partner, so I was signed up too. Chase was always terrible but I seemed to pick it up. It came back to me easily. Edward looked down at me. "The lessons may have helped, but you are a natural,"

I shrugged. "It isn't that hard,"

"Yes, but it takes at least an underlying aptitude and a sense of rhythm. You possess both." His serious, concerned face finally eased and he smiled. "Don't tell her this, but sometimes I forget all humans are not as accident prone as Bella."

I smiled back at him. "My lips are sealed," A few moments passed as we danced. "I'm happy for you guys."

His eyes gravitated towards the doors then back to me. "Thank you, I know that it isn't easy for you to form and act on that opinion."

I pursed my lips. "He can't help it," my eyes followed the path of Edward's back to the door.

Edward nodded. "I know," he sighed. "That's the worst part—I know."

We were quiet for a few moments before another thought struck me. I looked Edward in the eyes as I directed my thoughts towards him. _Tanya and my brother? Do they love each other?_

Edward smiled. "They do," he murmured quietly.

_Is she…you know…good for him? I worry about him so much. I don't want him to be lonely but I don't want him to get hurt. _

Edward looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm actually just as surprised as you are. However, despite how strange it may seem, it is good for both of them."

I nodded, knowing we couldn't say much more because my brother and Tanya were dancing not too far from us and would easily overhear our conversation.

We danced in silence for a few moments. I was paying close attention to the part of me that was connected to Jacob, which is probably why I could tell when his emotions began to turn negative. I dropped Edward's hand and began to move towards the door.

"Nothing's wrong, Denae. They're just talking," Edward said calmly. "I can hear every word."

But that didn't stop my body from moving towards the backyard. Jacob was getting upset. Edward was right behind me. He was speaking, but I didn't hear him. I opened the door in time to hear Jacob say. "_What are you talking about, Bella?" _His voice was harsh and confused. I felt it hit me full force then.

I moved quickly towards Jacob and Bella. Bella had her arms crossed and I easily distinguished it as a defensive stance. They hadn't been arguing, but they were getting ready to.

"Jacob, you can't act like you didn't know this was going to happen," Bella said with a slight quiver to her voice.

A tremor ran through Jacob's body and I sprung into action the same time Edward did. Jacob was upset and if he wasn't careful his control would begin to slip. I knew he wouldn't phase, but I also knew that anything Edward did would only intensify Jacob's anger. Edward stepped in front of Bella as I stepped in front of Jacob. I put my hands on his arms and ran them up and down soothingly. I knew I couldn't move him if I physically tried to push him, but I also knew Jacob naturally gave me anything I wanted and if I wanted him to move, he'd move.

"Back up, Jacob," I said softly. "There are a ton of people just beyond those doors." He clenched his eyes tight and took a deep breath, getting himself under control before taking a step back. I couldn't help but notice just how big he looked standing there as I stared up at him.

Sam and Jared appeared and began pulling Jacob back. "C'mon, Jake, let's go." Sam said in an authoritative tone, although he wasn't using the Alpha command. They both avoided looking at me and didn't even acknowledge my presence.

Jacob looked down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered for the third time that night. "I need to just go. I don't even know who I am any more," And then he disappeared into the woods.

* * *

I was pacing. I glanced down at the rug in my living room, surprised that I hadn't worn a path in it. Jacob had been gone for ten hours and no one in the pack would tell me where he went. All I knew was that he was running as a wolf somewhere that was not Forks or La Push. I was sad, angry, confused, disappointed and just plain frustrated. And that was just what _I _was feeling. I could feel the jumble of Jacob's emotions rushing through me, too many to be able to separate. Over the past several weeks I had noticed that our connection was getting stronger. I didn't know why, I just knew that it was.

"Walking back and forth like that won't change anything," Leah said finally. I just turned and glared at her from her spot on the couch. She had her feet propped up on the coffee table as she shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

I sat down on the couch with a frustrated sigh. After Jacob had ran off at Bella's wedding I had been distracted and counted down the minutes before I could leave. I felt bad being so out of it at my friend's wedding and when I was trying to spend time with my brother, but I couldn't help it.

When it was finally over, I raced home only to find that Jacob wasn't there. After calling his father and every member of the pack plus Sue and Emily and getting no answers I took to pacing in front of the door. I wasn't angry. I just wanted make sure that he was alright. Leah had come over to apparently make sure I didn't do anything rash. I had rolled my eyes, let her in and went back to pacing.

I closed my eyes, willing away the pounding headache. I rested my head on the back of the couch. My eyes were bloodshot and dry, and my limbs felt heavy. My body was pleading with me to go to sleep. But I knew there was no way that was happening. Not when I didn't know where Jacob was. I just wanted him back here with me.

"You look like crap," Leah said with a chuckle.

I opened my eyes but I couldn't even muster a good glare at Leah. I just sighed. "I'm just worried," I whispered.

"About what? He's running around as a giant wolf. Even if he runs into a leech he'll be fine. Jacob is the best fighter in the pack. He can take care of himself. "

"I'm not really worried about that. He's upset and I just want to make sure he's okay and talk through everything with him."

Leah sighed and pursed her lips together for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "Let me share something with you about men. When something like this happens, they don't want to talk about it. They want to be alone and deal with it on their own." She shrugged. "It's a total guy thing. Believe me I've been in their heads. That's just how they deal with stuff. I know this is a little more…intense… than what most guys have to go through but at the core, Jake is still just a guy. Give him some time."

I couldn't help the surprise look that crossed my face before I broke out into a smile for the first time in twelve hours. "Wow, Leah."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "What?"

"You need to write a book," I grinned. "You could title it, 'What Your Man is Really Thinking' by Leah Clearwater. You could give relationship advice and stuff."

Leah raised one eyebrow. "I'd probably make a lot of money, huh?"

I laughed. "Oh yeah,"

"The sequel could be 'Inside the Mind of Horny Teenage Werewolves: How to Make Love like an Animal," she said with a completely straight face.

I burst into laughter. "Nuh-uh! Do they really think about that kind of stuff?"

"Constantly," she groaned.

"That's so gross!" I laughed, imagining poor Leah subjected to the perverted minds of her packmates. "Wait," I said, my laughter dying. "Jacob doesn't…"

"Oh, he does," Leah interrupted me.

"Oh my gosh! How embarrassing!" I shrieked, completely mortified. "He doesn't think about…details does he?"

"He's not as bad as Jared, but…there are some definite details,"

I hid my face behind my hands, "I am so sorry!"

Leah just laughed, "It's not your fault."

"It's still so embarrassing!"

"Yeah, I would be pretty humiliated if I were you,"

"I'm going to have to tell Jacob to stop thinking about that," I said shaking my head.

Leah laughed, "He can't help it. Don't get me wrong, I hate the fact that they are all in my head and I'm in theirs. But it's just how life is, you know." She sighed.

"Are you happy?" I asked, sobering up suddenly. I turned towards Leah on the couch and folded my legs under me.

Leah leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. She was quiet for several moments. "Not really," she responded. "I-I've come to terms with what I am and what my life is. But I'm not happy." She moved her head so she was looking at me. "I'm constantly looking forward, you know? Like, hoping I'll get to a point where I'm really truly happy again."

I studied Leah for a moment before I spoke. "What do you want, Leah?"

"What?" She looked at me like I had grown a second head or something.

I smiled back at her. "What do you want? Out of life, I mean. When you look forward what do you see?"

We were quiet for a few minutes before she replied. "It changes," she said quietly. "Some days I see me falling in love with someone else, starting a family in La Push and being normal." She shrugged. "Some days I long to just leave. Go to college, have a life and career as far away from here as possible. I just want to do something that'll make me happy."

I bit my lip and considered the consequences of what I was about to say for a few moments. "Doing that stuff isn't going to make you happy. I don't mean that you shouldn't do any of it…but happiness has to come from within, as cheesy as that sounds. You have to let yourself be happy before it's going to happen."

"You're right that's pretty cheesy," She shook her head. "Seriously, though. I think I know that, but I don't know if I'm ready to let myself be happy quite yet."

I grinned at her and shrugged. "Then don't. I rather like the cold hearted bitch."

"I knew you did," she replied and passed me popcorn bowl.

We fell into a comfortable silence. I was thinking about ways to slowly get Leah to allow herself to be happy and didn't even realize I had fallen asleep until a pair of warm arms were carrying me to my bedroom.

"Jacob?" I murmured, forcing myself to open my eyes.

"Nope, just me," Leah's voice replied. "You dozed off, I'm just bringing you to bed."

She laid me down in my bed and I climbed under the covers, "Leah?" I asked as she turned to leave.

"What's up?" she turned towards me at the door.

"I know you have probably had enough bonding for tonight, but would you stay? I just don't want to be alone," I whispered. I don't know if I could take another night by myself without Jacob.

"If you hog the covers I'm out of here," she responded, but her voice had softened some.

* * *

I snuggled in closer to the warm body next to me, willing myself to just fall back asleep. I was almost there when a voice that was not my boyfriend's woke me up.

"Oh God, are we seriously cuddling?"

I opened my eyes and found myself looking into Leah Clearwater's tired glare. I couldn't help it, I laughed. I rolled away from her, back onto my side of the bed, and laughed until I cried. A few moments later, Leah joined in.

"You liked it," I said, once my laughter died down a bit. "I have to use the bathroom, be right back!" I said, getting ready to jump out of bed.

"Wait, Deane!" Leah said quickly, sitting up.

"Hold on, I have to go –" my sentence was cut off as I screamed. When I got out of bed I stepped on something warm, hard and apparently very much asleep.

"Jacob?" I said looking down at the floor, where he was curled up.

"D-denae," his voice was rough with sleep and he looked terrible.

Leah stood up and walked around the bed. "Are you _seriously_ sleeping on the floor?" she asked.

"I, uh, got in late and you guys were in the bed." He replied, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Leah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but she has a couch," Jacob just shrugged and Leah huffed. "Whatever, you imprinted guys are so freaking weird sometimes." She turned to me. "I'll let you guys have your privacy. Later, Denae."

"Wait, Leah!" I said, finally tearing my eyes from Jacob. "Thank you so much. Let me cook you breakfast before you go, don't you have to patrol in a little bit?" I glanced back down at Jacob. "Jacob could probably use some more sleep."

I think all three of us knew that I was putting off talking to Jacob because honestly I didn't know what to feel. I was so relieved that he was home, but now I didn't know what to say. Leah's words from the night before were echoing in my head. Jacob was dealing with this in his own way, we could talk when he was ready.

"Okay," Leah said slowly, dragging out the word. "I'll be in the kitchen."

I looked at down where Jacob was sitting on the floor. "You look exhausted. Get some sleep. I'll save some breakfast for you."

He stood and took my hands in his and just stared down at me for a moment before he gathered me up in a tight hug. I clung to him, closing my eyes and inhaling the woodsy sent that always lingered on him. His grip loosened and I kissed him on the cheek. "I love you," I told him.

"I love you too. So much." He whispered back and then climbed into bed. I sighed and turned towards the kitchen, feeling my muscles relax as I let the relief at hearing those words wash over me.

It was four hours later when Jacob finally emerged from the bedroom. I looked up from where I was looking through a magazine and smiled at him.

He rubbed the back of his head and shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. "I guess you probably want me to explain what happened," he sighed.

I shrugged, "If you want to, then I'm all ears. But honestly, I'm just glad you are safe and here with me now. I know you are dealing with a lot of stuff right now. I'll be here when you are ready but for now I just want to be with you. We've been so distant lately and it's eating me up inside."

"I know exactly what you mean," he said with what I interpreted as a sigh of relief. "Did you say you saved some food? Pancakes and strawberries?" he asked as he sniffed the air around him.

I giggled. "Dating a werewolf is so weird! Sniffing out leftovers, sleeping on the floor." I stuck my tongue out at him.

He grinned and walked over to where I was sitting on the couch and picked me up and spun me around. "You better get used to it. You'll have to deal with me forever."

"Forever, huh?" I asked pecking him on the lips.

"Yup, forever."

"Alright, well lets go get you some pancakes."


	6. Can't Take My Eyes off You

**No copyright infringement intended. Let me know what you think!**

**Can't Take My Eyes off You - Lady Antebellum**

_I know that the bridges that I've burned along the way_

_Have left me with these walls and these scars that won't go away_

_And opening up has always been the hardest thing until you came_

_So lay here beside me, just hold me and don't let go _

_This feelin' I'm feelin' is somethin' I've never known_

_ And I just can't take my eyes off you _

_And I just can't take my eyes off you_

A warm breeze blew through my hair as I stretched my legs out in front of me and leaned back on my hands. The grass I was sitting on tickled my bare legs. My eyes were closed and I had a smile on my face. It had been just over a week since Bella and Edward had left and things were quiet.

It was also an uncharacteristically sunny day in Forks, Washington and I was soaking up every ray of sun I possibly could. I sighed with contentment and crossed my legs at the ankle.

I could tell the light had changed and the sun was no longer shining directly on my face. I opened my eyes to scowl at the cloud that dare block out the sun, but Jacob was in front of me—his silhouetted form looked larger than life staring down at me.

I pushed the cheap sunglasses I had purchased at the dollar store up on my head as I smiled up at him. "How was patrol?"

He held a hand out to help me up as he answered. "As good as it could be with Quil constantly worrying about Claire. I mean, I know she's his imprint but the kid has a cold. He needs to calm down."

I chuckled as I used his hand to pull myself up. I stood on my toes as I threw my arms around him. "You would be doing the same thing if it were me," I told him before kissing him quickly on the lips.

He was modest enough to shoot me a sheepish grin in response. "So, how do you feel about going for a bike ride?" his dark eyes were sparkling with excitement as he asked me. He knew I wouldn't say no.

"Let's go! I just have to be back by five for work," I said excitedly. We hadn't been on his bike in months. I had been itching to be back on.

He grinned and swung me up over his shoulder. I started playfully pounding on his back and demanding he let me down. He just laughed and sat me down on the motorcycle. I pushed my hair out of my face and tried to glare at him, but I ended up just laughing instead.

"We could go for a hike too," Jacob suggested as he climbed on in front of me. "That'll be fun."

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly and enjoying the way his black t-shirt clung to his huge muscles. "That sounds great!" I said enthusiastically, beyond excited to spend the day outside and with Jacob.

I expected to start off immediately but Jacob just looked over at his shoulder at where I was holding him closely with a huge smile on my face. "I remember the first time I took you for a ride on my bike. You were so nervous about holding on to me, and I wanted nothing more than for you to wrap your arms around me. I could hear your heart over the motorcycle…it was beating so fast."

I squeezed Jacob tighter for a moment, "I was so afraid of scaring you off," I laughed, thinking back on the memory. "I was incredibly nervous. You have no idea." I kissed his back and sighed happily.

"Who knew that before too long you'd be riding more than my bike," he winked.

Now, a lot of girls would be offended at Jacob's crass comment. I just bit his shoulder playfully and rolled my eyes. "Alright, prince charming, let's go."

Moments later we were off; the green scenery of Washington racing by us. Before long we were in La Push.

We slowed down as Jacob navigated a dirt road. We started to get deeper into the woods but thankfully we stopped before the trees blocked out all of the sunlight. I climbed off the motorcycle and waited for Jacob to get off and set the bike up.

"There doesn't seem to be a hiking trail anywhere," I said skeptically looking around the dense foliage. It was very pretty to look at but I had a feeling a few feet in, and I would be completely lost.

Jacob just gave me a bright grin, causing my heart to flutter a little. "There's not. Don't worry I won't get lost. I patrol these woods all the time. I know it like the back of my hand." He reached out his hand and I took it immediately. "Let's go."

We walked through the densely wooded forest for some time. Jacob easily navigated around fallen trees, brush and roots. I, on the other hand, stumbled along, glad for his dexterity to catch me the numerous times I almost fell. I tried to enjoy the nature around me but it was hard when I was more concerned with putting one foot in front of the other. We started up a steep incline and the brush and foliage began to clear out some, but to me the walk was harder. I was breathing hard when we finally reached a clearing.

"I need to rest!" I said, wiping sweat from my forehead. I sat on a fallen tree and tried to catch my breath. Naturally, Jacob hadn't even broken a sweat. He started climbing a tree nearby and, of course, made it look easy. I glared at him, silently cursing his agility, before sighing. "I am so out of shape," I whined.

Jacob frowned from where he was hanging from a tree limb about 10 feet up. "No you're not," he said. "You're perfect." He let go of the branch and dropped, landing gracefully on his feet before coming over to where I was still huffing and puffing away. "Don't tell me you're turning into one of those girls who obsesses about her weight." He dropped down into a crouch in front of me. "Seriously, you are perfect. You are so small and petite and you have these amazing curves…" he trailed off as his hand slowly moved from my knee up my thigh.

I huffed and crossed my arms. "I'm not saying I'm fat, Jacob." I shook my head. "I just am out of shape. I always played ball or was active somehow. Before, that incline wouldn't have been an issue. But all I do is lounge around anymore with a bunch of lazy werewolves."

He grinned, "Good, I'm glad you aren't going to be like that. And we're not lazy…we patrol all the time so we just end up tired…"

I couldn't help but smile at his defense, "Sure, sure." I shrugged. "I just need to start working out again. Ashley has started going to that gym in Forks. Maybe I should go, too."

"If it'll make you feel better go for it. But please, keep the curves. I'm pretty fond of them." his grin turned into a devious smile as he picked me up. "Until then, I'll just carry you everywhere." This time, I didn't demand he let me down. My legs still felt like jelly and I had only just begun breathing normally. Eventually, he carried me piggy back style and we continued our hike. I enjoyed it more that way. I was able to look at the scenery around me and we event caught sight of some wildlife along the way. We stayed for nearly an hour at the cliffs, looking over the crashing water as Jacob told me about he had saved Bella from a spot not far where we were from.

It was almost four when we returned to the bike. I found that I was completely content with how the day had gone. For once we were just a happy couple. No drama or fighting. We just spent the day hiking and enjoying each other's company. I found it intriguing how we always seemed to learn a little bit more about each other during these moments of normalcy. You would think we'd know everything there was to know about each other being soul mates and whatnot. But I learned more about his childhood and I talked about what I missed from Texas. I found myself feeling relieved that we could still learn more about each other, especially considering that I'm planning on spending the rest of my life with him.

My good mood helped my shift at work pass quickly. Ashley and I made plans to meet at the gym early the next morning. I was in high spirits during the night, although I was definitely feeling the soreness from the hike when I got home.

Jacob noticed immediately that I was uncomfortable when I walked through the door. He followed me into the bedroom as I began changing out of my work clothes. "Stay here," he said, handing me my robe. "I'll start a bath for you."

I smiled appreciatively, and sat down on the bed rolling my shoulders and trying to work the kinks out. I listened to him as he got the bath together. I couldn't help the big, silly grin on my face as I thought about how much Jacob spoiled me. After a moment he walked back into the room and smiled quizzically as he took in my grin.

"Thank you for a wonderful day today. And thank you for being amazing. I don't tell you that often enough." I stood up and lifted my arms to throw them around him, but end up wincing and dropping them to my side as they pulled at my strained muscles. I pouted as Jacob stifled a laugh.

He leaned down and dropped a kiss onto my forehead. "You don't have to tell me. I know I'm amazing." I rolled my eyes as he playfully tugged on my robe. "Now go take your bath."

I entered the bathroom and my heart melted a little more when I saw that he had gathered all the candles from other places in the house and lit them, creating a soft glow. The various scents didn't really blend perfectly, but I didn't mind one bit. It was from his heart and that is all that mattered to me. I was glad that I had spontaneously purchased bubble bath several weeks ago as I climbed into the warm, bubbly water. I sighed contentedly, letting my eyes drift closed as my body relaxed.

I completely lost track of time as I relaxed in the tub. I only got out when the water had gone cold and my fingers and toes were wrinkled. I was still sore but I wasn't stiff any more. I smiled softly as I noticed that Jacob had laid out a towel and one of his t-shirts for me to change into. I dried off, put on his shirt and padded into the bedroom as I dried my hair. Jacob was lounging on the bed in just his boxers and looked up from his car magazine as I entered. "Feel better?"

I nodded, "You have no idea." I said as I tossed my towel into a hamper and climbed into bed.

He smiled and put down his magazine. "Roll over, I'll give you a massage," he said.

I grinned and eagerly rolled over, unable to contain a moan when he started to work my neck muscles.

"Mmmm, when do you patrol again?" I asked, closing my eyes and enjoying his large, warm hands on my strained muscles.

"Not til 4 am," he answered as he massaged my back.

I just purred in appreciation as he continued to work my muscles.

"Listen, Denae," Jacob said quietly, his hands never faltering. "I think I'm ready to talk about what happened last week."

"Okay," I responded quickly. The unresolved issue had been gnawing at me. I didn't mind confrontation and I liked problems to come to a conclusion. I was able to let it go, because Leah's voice had been echoing in my head. Jacob was a guy. He had to deal with it in his own way.

"I-I really loved Bella, you know?" Jacob's voice was pensive; as if he was afraid I'd react badly. "And when I met you, that love didn't go away. It just changed. I've always cared for her. And she always will be my friend. We have been through a lot." He sighed and I rolled over so that I could look at him. He moved his hands to his lap and stared down at them sadly. "And deep down, I know that Edward loves her and will always take care of her. But so much of me is naturally against what he is. Every fiber of me screams out that he is the enemy. It's hard seeing someone I care about on the brink of becoming the thing I hate the most. I was made to destroy vampires.

And you know what? If you hadn't come into my life, I probably would have when I found out they were marrying and planning on changing Bella." His eyes finally lifted from his hands and bore into mine, the intensity in their dark depths making me catch my breath. "But you bring back that little bit of humanity that's left inside of me. You are what takes me from all animal, and instinct, and brings me back to who I was before. And that is literally the only way that I'm dealing with this right now. And yeah, it took me running around as a wolf to figure that out."

He sighed and took my hands, his thumbs running over them as his eyes turned sad. I could tell he wasn't finished speaking so I kept my mouth shut as he thought over his words.

"I don't know what's going to happen if she comes back as a vampire, Denae," he whispered. "I don't know what Sam will do. What if he orders me to kill them? What if I do?"

It was then that I realized that Jacob was scared. I felt so stupid for not seeing it before when it was obvious – he was afraid of what he'd do. It had never occurred to me that my big, strong protector who was practically invincible could possibly ever be scared of anything. He was so sure, so cocky all of the time that I had never recognized it.

I pulled his hands to signal that I wanted him to lie down next to me. He curled into me, those dark brown eyes that I loved so much, never leaving my blue ones. "It's okay to be scared," I whispered as I ran my fingers through his hair softly, trying to comfort him with my words and my touch. "We don't know what's going to happen when they return. And that scares me too. But whatever happens – and I mean _whatever_ – I will be here and I will support you. You know that right? We will get through it together. And, knowing that I'll have you by my side makes me a lot less scared."

"How do you always know exactly what to say?" Jacob said as he leaned in to kiss the side of my neck. "I'm sorry for running off. I'm sorry that I feel this way. I'm sor-"

"Hey," I said, cutting off his apologies. "You needed time to work it out. I understand that now. And I'm going to be honest, I can't help but be a little jealous over Bella-"

He sat up quickly, looking down at me with wide eyes. "No-I-I don't love her like that! I don't love her like I love you! It's different – like a sister." he groaned and put his head in his hands. "I knew I shouldn't have said that. You're just such a good listener and-"

I cut him off again, "_Jacob,_ listen to me. I am jealous but that is simply because I'm slightly possessive of you and I'm jealous she was your first love. I wish that could have been me." I smiled up at him. "But I know what you and I have is so, so different."

He let out a big breath, "I really thought we were going to start fighting again."

I shook my head and sat up so I could hold his face in my hands. "No more fighting for a little while, okay?"

He smiled lovingly back at me, "Okay." We were silent for several moments before he spoke again. "So, you're possessive of me?"

I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help but smile. "That would be what you pick up on."

His hands began roaming up my naked thighs. "It's kind of hot, you know."

I couldn't help but laugh until Jacob cut it off with a searing kiss. The mood had changed so quickly – from emotional to light to passionate. It left me kind of dizzy. Then again, Jacob always had a way of making me dizzy.

* * *

"Come on! Harder! Don't you dare stop!"

I groaned loudly as my legs began to fall from their position "I see you, cheating, Walters! One more time and it'll be pushups for you!" I ground my teeth as I forced myself to do another crunch, glaring at Christy the fitness instructor as I did. She had one of those loud, scratchy voices that did nothing by grate on my nerves. It also didn't help that it was 8:00 in the morning and Jacob had kept me up very late the night before.

"I'm…dying," Ashley panted on my right, her face was bright red.

"Just…breathe," I said, breathing hard, sweat dripping off of my head and onto the mat.

"That's the problem," she groaned as she dropped her legs to the mat. "I am breathing but nothing happens…I'm going to be dead soon."

"Collins! Get your legs back up at a ninety degree angle!" Christy screamed at Ashley and I swore I heard her whimper. "Everyone, look over at Clearwater. Now _that_ is a proper crunch!"

I turned my glare to my left where Leah was smirking, easily doing out two or three crunches for every one of mine. "You can't even pretend to struggle?" I said, truly angry at Leah for being there. I was very surprised to see her at the gym when I showed up that morning. Apparently she had enrolled yoga to help with her temper and thought it would be funny if she stayed for my core strengthening class. As if her stupid, werewolf core needed strengthened.

Leah just laughed as I groaned, doing the last of my crunches slowly.

"Alright, class is over!" Christy said in the same loud, annoying voice as before. "For those of you that I haven't killed, I'll see you tomorrow morning 7 am sharp. Don't be late!"

Leah hopped up, agile as ever and smiled down at where I lay, attempting to catch my breath, sprawled out on the mat. I slowly stood, my legs feeling like jelly and my abdominals already hurting every time I moved.

"I think I'll stick to the treadmill next time," I said, all but whining.

"I think I'll stick to my nice warm bed," Ashley grumbled taking a long drink from her water bottle.

Leah shrugged, "I think it was fun."

Ashley and I both glared at Leah as we turned to collect our stuff.

"Hi, ladies!" A man with well-defined muscles under his gym shirt approached us. His hair was greying and he had blue eyes. The surprising part was his voice – it was much higher pitched than I expected from him. "Listen, I have three spots open for my next class, would you be interested?"

Ashley and I both began shaking our heads. "No thank you," I said quickly. "I don't know if I can make it through another class."

The man began laughing – actually it was more like giggling – and clapped his hands together. "Oh, I know Christy can be tough. Trust me, you'll hate her now but in about 8 weeks you love her. So will those special men in your life." He winked. "But my class isn't focused on getting you in shape. It's a self-defense class!" I swear he did jazz hands.

Ashley, Leah and I all looked at each other. I couldn't help but think about the time I was walking home from work and that disgusting man, Miles, attacked me. I was lucky that Jacob was there to save me that day. That thought made me think back to all the times I was too weak to fight back against Grant. I nodded my head, "I'm in."

Ashley and Leah complied with a nod and a shrug and we turned back toward the middle of the gym where a group of women was beginning to assemble.

"Alrighty, group!" The man said, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Before I begin, I want everyone to sit down on the mat." We all complied, and waited for our next instruction. "My name is Douglas and I'm going to be teaching you the basics of self-defense. This class will be every Monday and Wednesday at 8:15 am." He put his hands on his hips and his smile grew even larger. "I want to explain why I'm here, though."

Douglas clasped his hands in front of him as he made eye contact with each of us sitting before him. "My partner of 10 years, Jonathan, has a little sister who just graduated from college. One day, she was walking home from a class when a man attacked her. He took her money and he raped her." I could see Douglas' demeanor change as he talked. "I've been a fitness instructor for many years, but after that happened I knew that I needed to do something. I realized that I was in a pretty great position to make a difference. That is when I became certified as a self-defense trainer, and I travel around Washington state teaching ladies just like you to defend yourselves. The best part of it is, I'm in a good position to play your attacker and let you try moves on me without it being weird since I am most obviously in a very committed relationship with the man of my dreams." He winked and his face crinkled into a smile. "So, let's get started, shall we?"

I quickly found that I loved Douglas. He was an absolute blast to be around, but you could also see that he was very passionate about helping women learn how to protect themselves. Several times throughout the lesson I reflected back to my times with Grant and how if I had just known how to defend myself, maybe I wouldn't have felt so weak. Leah could see the change in my attitude and kept a close eye on me throughout the class.

It was kind of strange. The more I physically took out all of my anger, sadness, fear and despair over my past, the better I felt. I had never been able to think about the past without shutting down until now. I knew I couldn't change what happened, but this aggressive side came out of me and for once I wished that Grant wasn't dead so I could find him and take out all of this pent up anger on him. It was incredibly therapeutic. It seemed I had finally found a way to deal with my past without tears and fear.

We were practicing proper punches when Douglas came up to watch me. "What's your name, babe?" he asked.

I stopped my angry assault on the bag (I had been imagining it was Grant's face) and turned to him. "Denae,"

"Looks like you have it out for that punching bag, Denae."

"I do," I replied simply, breathing hard.

His sad smile told me he understood why I was being so aggressive. "Good girl," he paused, pursing his lips. "Do you need anything right now?" the intense expression on his face told me he was worried that I was currently in a situation that I needed to protect myself.

I shook my head. "I did a while ago. But now…I'm perfect."

He nodded, understanding that my demons were in my past. "While I'm in town I'm teaching a three week kickboxing course. You should consider joining."

I smiled for the first time since the class had started. "I think I will, Douglas."

"I look forward to it, sweetheart." And with another smile he was off, exclaiming "Oh girl! You aren't going to do a bit of damage with those little sissy hits!" as he walked up to another participant.

I went back to hitting the bag as I smiled to myself. It seemed like I had found a new hobby.


	7. Chapter 6

It is short...it doesn't have a song to go along with it...and it probably has some errors... but it is a necessary chapter to move us along to more exciting stuff. I wanted to go ahead and post it when I had some time because I am going to be graduating from college in the next 6 weeks which means life is going to get crazy! Thanks for reading, everyone. And thanks for sticking with this story even through I'm terrible at updating frequently!

Chapter 6

I threw myself into training with Douglas. That is, once Jacob realized that I wasn't in danger. The first day of the self-defense class, he came running in to the gym, his eyes wildly scanning the room until he found me. When he finally found me, he gathered me up in his arms and his hands moved all over me, making sure I was okay. Apparently, he had felt all of the anger and pain I was dealing with and thought something was wrong. I hadn't even thought about the imprint bond being affected by my swinging emotions. As I trained more, I was able to contain some of my aggression, while keeping my emotions to myself. That, of course, caused Jacob to come running again when he couldn't feel me for a short period of time. I felt so bad for the poor guy.

However, it did spark a bit of interest with us. We began experimenting with the imprint bond, trying to protect our emotions, or direct a certain emotion towards one another. The results were…scary. We were so closely connected that we were literally unable to put it into words. I felt closer to Jacob than I ever had once we realized how tightly connected we were.

If I wasn't working or spending time with Jacob, I was at the gym. Douglas even stayed late to help me out one-on-one. About a week and half into training, he finally outright asked me about why I was so aggressive with the kickboxing and self-defense training.

We were sitting on the mat, drinking water and taking a break. I took a long pull from my water bottle before answering. "I was in an abusive relationship before I came to Forks,"

That was literally the first time I had said it like that out loud. I had never been able to put those words together. I had told a handful of people about my past – Doc, Martha and Bella (and in turn Jacob and Edward) – but I had never once been able to just say it.

Douglas nodded, kindness shining through his eyes. "I figured that much, sugar. What I want to know is if you are safe now."

I began picking at the label on my water bottle, feeling relieved that I didn't have to go into details. The training and boxing had helped me release a lot of the pent up anger and sadness I felt about my past. But it still made me uncomfortable.

"I am beyond safe now," I said quietly. "He's dead, the guy who hurt me. He was involved in some really bad stuff and it caught up with him." I paused and leaned back on my hands. "The man I am with now is…" I trailed off, unsure of where to even begin. "He's amazing, Douglas. He puts me first. He loves that I'm stubborn and just always does the sweetest things."

Douglas smiled at me, a look of relief passing over his features. "Well, good. Honey, you deserve it. And if Mr. Perfect ever changes you tell me, and I'll take care of him. I may be a sassy gay man but I have black belt, I'm trained in Jiu Jitsu and I am not afraid to use it if some jerk messes with my girl."

I threw my head back and laughed as Douglas snapped his fingers before standing back up. I stood with him. "Alright, Mr. Sassy, let's get back to work before you hurt someone." During our training, Douglas told me he was actually a former boxer. I knew that even with all of his training, Douglas could never hurt Jacob. But even more amusing was the thought that Jacob would ever do anything to hurt me. Douglas didn't (and couldn't) know that physically, Jacob could never intentionally hurt me. Once again, I was struck with just how amazing the imprinting process was. He was exactly what I needed.

Douglas pulled on his sparring gloves as I stretched out a little bit. We fell back into what had become our new routine and I felt the familiar inner peace take over as I took out my aggression physically. After a while, Douglas had me just practice punching on the punching bag. I was so focused on landing my hits correctly and with as much power as I could muster that I didn't hear the front door to the gym open. It wasn't until Douglas' giggle cut through my concentration that I lost focus.

I turned, ready to complain about being interrupted when I saw Jacob standing in the doorway, all of his attention turned towards me. His eyebrows were raised and his mouth was slightly open.

"So _this_ is your Mr. Perfect, huh?" Douglas' tittering seemed to shake Jacob out of whatever daze he was in.

I rolled my eyes as I began unwrapping the tape on my hands. "Douglas, this is my boyfriend Jacob. Jacob, this is my trainer Douglas."

"Hell-oh, Jacob," Douglas said, dragging out the 'o'.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Jacob responded politely.

"Oh, trust me, the pleasure is all mine," Douglas purred. Jacob looked a little confused, but kept a friendly smile on his face.

"Did you want to stay a while longer?" Jacob asked, his eyes meeting mine. "I didn't mean to cut your time short. I just have to…be at work in a little bit."

"Nah, Douglas needs to go in a bit anyways." I said as I began to gather my stuff up.

"Denae, did you ask Jacob if it was okay if you went with me tomorrow?"

I looked up, shooting an inquisitive glance at Douglas. "What do you mean?"

Jacob just looked at me with interest and confusion. "What're you doing tomorrow?"

"Douglas was going to teach me to shoot a gun," I replied, still looking at Douglas, waiting to see what he was up to.

"That sounds like fun. Billy has a bunch of old targets and stuff at the house that you guys can use." Jacob replied with an easy smile.

"So, you don't care that she didn't tell you?" Douglas said, his eyes fixed on Jacob. I knew then exactly what he was doing.

"Uh…no?" Jacob said, obviously not catching on to Douglas' little game.

"So Denae has your permission to go?" Douglas took a step towards Jacob.

Jacob's face burst into a grin and then a laugh. "If you know Denae at all you know she does whatever the hell she wants and doesn't ask anyone for permission," his eyes met mine. "That's why I love her."

Douglas smiled suddenly, apparently pleased with Jacob's response. "Well, then I'll see you tomorrow sugar!"

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed Jacob's hand. "See you, Douglas,"

"He seems nice," Jacob commented as we walked to his motorcycle. I just laughed.

The next day at work flew by and before I knew it I was out at the shooting range with Douglas. He taught me everything I needed to know about firing a gun. However, when it came down to it, I found that I wasn't a very good shot. After several tries I finally actually hit the target, although nowhere near where I should have been hitting. I was frustrated to say the least.

Douglas decided to switch tactics and teach me how to disarm someone with a gun. He used a fake, wooden gun that he had been using to teach me to shoot earlier and walked me through the various ways I could hit or kick someone with a gun. I felt much better after working on that because I found I could actually do it. It was satisfying to send the gun flying out of Douglas' hand and I had almost forgotten about my discouragement earlier.

Douglas and I were walking back to our cars, bantering about how he could never convince my boyfriend to 'switch teams' when I happened to look up. I was shocked to see Rosalie standing by my car, perfectly poised with a hint of irritation on her flawless features.

"Rosalie! What are you doing here?" I asked, shooting a glance at Douglas who seemed to be drooling over her jacket.

"I need to speak with you, Denae." She said curtly. I would have been offended if it was anyone else but Rosalie.

"Sure," I turned to Douglas, giving him a quick hug. "I should be by tomorrow. Thanks for today, it was fun."

He kissed my cheek before getting in his little Nissan and driving off.

"So," I said, dragging the 'o' out as I shoved my hands in my pocket. "What's up?"

"Bella and Edward have returned," she said; her golden eyes boring into mine. "And I think Bella needs all the support she can get right now. She isn't…well."

I blinked twice before her words sunk in. "What do you mean? Isn't she…like…like you?" I said, glancing around to confirm no one was in the parking lot with us.

"No," Rosalie seemed to struggle with her words. "Bella's pregnant."


End file.
